Ariana Dale - Christian Science Sentinel, July 16, 2007
I was lying in bed, hours after “flashlights out.” My family, my dog, Carmel, and my best friend all flashed through my mind. I was also thinking about my older brother, who had just started football camp back at home, and I worried about his safety. My face felt hot and wet as I quietly cried into my pillow. But why was I sad? Wasn’t I supposed to be happy at summer camp?
By John Biggs 
Good heavens. It’s been a wonderful couple of weeks. This weekend I went to Addo Elephant Park near Port Elizabeth, and we must have seen over 100 elephants, along with bushpig, warthog, red hartebeest, and zebra. It was beautiful to see these animals in their natural environment. The bush is very thick here - such a diversity of plant and animal life. It was a great backdrop, to have these images in thought during the drive back to the farm the next day, as we talked about the current (and possible future) state of affairs in South Africa politically, socially, and economically. (more…)
by Estey Masten
Hi! I’m Estey (or Esperanza when I speak Spanish), and I’m the new TMC Youth blogger in town. I have volunteered to blog for many reasons, but the two most important ones are these: 1) I love connecting with other citizens of the world, and this blog is a perfect way to do it! 2) This is a great way for me to think introspectively about myself and realize where I need to go up higher and align myself with divine purpose.
Roger Gordon - The Christian Science Journal, Dec. 2006
I was thrilled. I had been admitted to college at one of the top theater schools in the United States, in the conservatory’s most competitive year ever.
Freshman year I took theater classes all day long with the same group of 15 students. The program was designed so we would get to know each other intimately, and we formed a very tight knit ensemble together. In our classes and outside of them, we laughed, cried, mourned, and celebrated life together.
Russel Fogg - Testimony from the Christian Science Sentinel, Dec. 18, 2006
After snowboarding for the first time in eighth grade, while I was living in Missouri, I fell in love with the sport and bought all the gear. I snowboarded all the time. I was good at it and identified with it, partly because I got recognition and made friends. But mostly snowboarding felt very much like me being me.
Reprinted from The Christian Science Journal, June 2007
After the death of a friend in seventh grade, I carried around a feeling of sadness and guilt. I felt that I had made mistakes and let people down, and hadn’t always been the friend I could have been. The sadness became habitual. At times it took on almost an air of arrogance and became a reason not to be lively or outreaching.
During my sophomore year of college, I struggled with a dark feeling of depression. I had gotten into the habit of harshly condemning myself for every little imperfect thought or behavior. I felt overwhelmed with the appearance of evil in the world, and I was filled with a great desire to help others, yet I felt inadequate to do anything with all my imperfections and fears. Life seemed sad and hopeless. (more…)
By Chase Clements - The Christian Science Journal, July 2006
“Do you want a drink?” my friend asked me one night last summer in the basement of his house. Two girls were there, and I didn’t want to seem like a loser. I had known that my friend was bound to ask me that question eventually, and my thoughts began darting around at light speed.
At the prep school I attend, popularity is determined by several factors: most significantly, if and how much you drink, how many “cool” parties you attend, and if you’ve had sex. When my friend offered the drink, I felt I had a fairly firm understanding of why I didn’t need it. For one, I don’t want to have to lean on external sources like alcohol to make me popular or to feel relaxed. But the only thing I could think about was how I’d appear if I said no. The fear of doing the unpopular thing began to cloud my thoughts. (more…)
An interview with TMC Youth’s Brant Arthur, Ariana Herlinger, Justin Byrd, and Ellen Hammond
Reprinted from the March 13, 2006, issue of the CS Sentinel.
Rated for teens and up.
Four young people spill their thoughts on a subject not just for young people to sort out, but one many adults also struggle to make sense of..
(more…)
