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When I called a friend for some information, I was aware—even on the phone—that she was having difficulty getting up and going to get what I’d asked for. As she slowly moved to the other room, she used a very familiar expression among Christian Scientists.

There’s a slogan that reads, “What’s not to love?” Well, sometimes I seem to know all too clearly just what is unlovable about my identity; it doesn’t seem possible that God could love me as He looks at me. Perhaps some mistakes bear down on me.

One of Jesus’ most compelling statements is a powerful message to us today: “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” ( John 14:12 ). Greater works? Jesus raised the dead! He must have known because of his origin—the virgin birth—that he had what might be humanly considered a “head start.

One day I received a call to pray from someone who works for a company where he sometimes encounters sad stories from clients. As I listened to this man, I also listened to God for words of comfort to share.

When I study the weekly Christian Science Bible Lessons I try to pay special attention to the familiar passages from the Scriptures and Science and Health that I’m tempted to read over quickly. I take a moment to ask for an open thought and receptivity to a new way of seeing those words.

When I visited the Jordan River, I saw how much it represented life to Israel. It can be a dry and inhospitable land, but where the river runs there is a flourishing verdure.

I was born into a devout Christian family. When I was a child, my parents brought me to a Protestant church Sunday School, where I learned about the Bible, sang religious songs, and was taught to love all of God’s creatures.

Because I’ve never been able to conceive of God as a gigantic force somewhere in the heavens above, I’ve found it comforting and very satisfying to accept that God is, quite simply, the presence of goodness. This goodness is everywhere, and we realize this whenever we take the time to look.

One Wednesday evening, after answering a late phone call, I decided to attend a Christian Science branch church that was about five minutes from my home. The readings were inspiring and uplifting.

We love to be invited to parties or celebrations, don’t we? We go with expectation and joy! But how fully are we as Christians responding to the life-changing invitation Christ Jesus extends to all his followers in every age, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”  (Matt. 25:34) ? What is the inheritance the Master promises us? Isn’t it our rightful place in God’s kingdom as His cherished sons and daughters—a place that has been prepared for each one of us? The revelation of the Science of Christianity in this age helps us to accept fully Christ’s invitation through our own study of the Bible and Science and Health.