I got married when I was 20.  Actually, I’d only been 20 for 20 days.  Granted, I was mature for my age—kind of—but I had no idea how hard it would be for me to turn off my dating brain.

Even though I was completely devoted to my new husband, I still seemed to have this part of me that looked at many guys as dating potential. (more…)

Should fear about personal safety be an obstacle to peacekeeping? Definitely not!

I live in Kenya, and a few months before the 2007 General Election, I was selected to co-ordinate peace initiatives at the ward level with a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) called, “Youth Building Bridges of Peace” in Kibera, a large slum in the middle of Nairobi. My work included bringing village elders, opinion leaders, youth leaders and also religious leaders together to work towards a common goal of peace during the election period. Historically, Kibera was one of the “hot spots” during and following elections in Kenya, especially among youth. (more…)

I’ve been married for a little more than a year now and I have to say, it’s awesome!

As much as I loved the dress I wore at the wedding, as well as the flowers, the food, and all the various details of that one day, those things are a teeny drop in a big bucket when when it comes to making marriage awesome day in and day out. (more…)

Sex scandals and extramarital affairs seem to fill the news these days. The most recent debacle with Tiger Woods got me thinking about a strange dichotomy in today’s society. From pop-culture to sex education classes, the idea that we are sexual beings that must regularly gratify ourselves with physical pleasures is promoted constantly—and enthusiastically. So much flash and urgency surrounds the topic. Children are experimenting with sex and sexuality at younger ages. And the idea of fidelity of any kind has become perceptually more of a fairytale than a reality. (more…)

I’m sitting in a café and overheard the girls at the next table next table talking about relationships (no, I wasn’t eavesdropping!). They were college age and one was talking about how she wants to settle down. The desire seemed to be less “hooking up” with guys and having a more focused relationship with someone. The girl she was with concurred that she was enjoying her first long term relationship in awhile. (more…)

Lee este blog en español

During our time in Argentina, Susie gave three youth lectures to about 230 people, approximately 40% of which were close to Sunday School age and/or new to Christian Science. Each lecture started with an explanation that youth is an attitude that everyone can express, with freshness, joy, love, energy and the welcoming of new ideas. Throughout each lecture, the loving and prayerful support of everyone involved was evident. (Highlights from the lectures will be made available in Spanish on tmcyouth.com, and the nine other TMC Youth activities that took place in Argentina will be described in our next blog.) (more…)

by Keith Wommack

A story from the book of Genesis tells of Jacob’s long night. In part, it says, “Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. … And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. …And he blessed him there.” Science and Health explains, “Jacob was alone, wrestling with error, — struggling with a mortal sense of life….”

Jacob’s night reminds me of one of mine. I’d been in the Christian Science healing ministry for five years and was living near a university in a split-level house. My bedroom was on the second story. It had eight floor-to-ceiling windows. It was peaceful—until a fraternity moved into a two-story house nearby.

One night, a party started. A stereo and TV blared on a balcony. The sounds boomed into my bedroom through my closed windows. I prayed, grumbled, tossed, and turned.

Around 4 in the morning, the yelling stopped, but the stereo and TV were still booming. I had had enough. I dressed, walked to the corner, then downhill to the fraternity house, past a car with a young man asleep in the backseat, stepped over two individuals lying in the backyard, and climbed up a trellis to the second-story balcony. I turned off the stereo, unplugged the TV, picked it up, and carried it to my house. I then climbed into bed. Ah, peace and quiet!

(more…)

by Steve Helmer

Well, join the club. Sadly, a lot of families live in that space. Getting the keys to the car, setting curfew, making college choices—even being the "right" kind of Christian Scientist.

As a new foster parent with teens, I’ve been thinking hard about what is fair and right and helpful—and about keeping the peace at home.

(more…)

by Brant Arthur

It’s late at night and the laptop battery is running low. It’s the time when the mosquitoes come out and I catch them with my bare hand. They are easy to spot against the white-washed mud walls. I am writing from rural Andhra Pradesh in India. I’m spending about a month doing an internship as part of my Development Practice degree. It’s a small village, both closely knit and divided. (more…)

by Evan Mehlenbacher

I like January. It’s the month that most people associate with a fresh start. And fresh starts with a spiritual spin are wonderful.

I like it when January rolls around each year because it’s the month that most nearly signifies a fresh start, a new beginning, or an opportunity to “get it right this time.”

(more…)