Joe - Adapted from the Christian Science Sentinel, June 23, 2008, and posted on tmcyouth.com
Last year my church helped a family in Mexico. I saw how happy and loving the family was as we built them a little house in Tijuana. The Christian Science Society I attend was a sponsor for this mission trip.
When we got to the building site high on a hill in Mexico overlooking California, I met the youngest member of the family, Isaac. He calls himself Zak. I asked him what he got for Christmas. He said, “Nothing, because my parents don’t have any money.” And so I felt like that was why we were there, so that we could build a house for him and his family for Christmas. It was our Christmas present to them.
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by John Biggs
All these places I’ve been…all the places I’m going…all the places I hope to go, or maybe places I have no plan of going to…whether I think of them as physical locations, mental states, or social or employment situations, there are so many places to choose from, or simply be put in. And sometimes it hits me that no matter where I go or what I do, there’s someone or some thing left behind.
But what if I didn’t think of place as one thing inherently separate from other places? What if I looked past the senses, no matter how beautiful or ugly, and simply saw this place as a day of salvation and an opportunity to glorify God?
by Estey Masten
Opportunities for growth constantly present themselves to each one of us. When I consider and make life choices, I direct my thought towards God and remind myself that no matter what decision is made, God always blesses me. This open perspective takes the stress out of every decision, and leaves my thought open to God’s direction.
by Susie Rynerson
“How great Thou art, how great Thou art…”
This hymn by Carl Gustav Boberg is one of my favorites. It starts with the low, calm, rhythmic recognition of God’s beauty and presence in the world, and then soars into a joyful refrain celebrating His saving power. It’s one of those hymns that practically moves me to tears just listening to it. Why is that?
by Evan Mehlenbacher
In the USA, where I live, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated every November. I love this time of year because it reminds me to be grateful to God for all the blessings I have received and witnessed.
There have been times when material things were listed at the top of my gratitude list. Like the first time I had a car to drive to work instead of a bicycle. Or the time I had enough money to rent my own place and move out of my parent’s home. Those were exciting events for me.
by Keith Wommack
I remember my brother and I staring at the calendars on the wall. Three months of blank calendars. We managed our own band. The band members had wives and small children. If we didn’t find shows for the band, no one could pay their bills. What to do?
Be grateful. That was our plan. It worked. There were some tense and fearful days. But, month after month for ten years the calendars filled up. We played 200 shows each year until I quit the band to go into the full time practice of Christian Science healing.
by David Bates
You know, sometimes I don’t always recognize everything I have to be grateful for. At times I forget to give gratitude for the many awesome things that have happened in my life. But in conjunction with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I’ve been thinking a lot about what gratitude is, where it comes from, and how I can better recognize the good in my life.
Even though I may not always be grateful-that is expressing outward thanks or consciously recognizing and listing all the good in my life-I’ve realized that even when I may not be aware of it, my heart is always grateful. A hymn in the Christian Science Hymnal (No. 3) takes us through three verses that begin “A grateful heart….” The first verse likens a grateful heart to a garden, “Where there is always room, For every lovely, God-like grace to come to perfect bloom.”
