'Good articles!'
Thank you for the November issue! I loved the conversation with David Haughton and especially appreciated what he said about mental malpractice not being just people holding bad thoughts about us. His comments on pondering reminded me of the wonderful article “My ‘cover to cover’ project” by Alan Pate in the Sentinel of October 22. Mr. Pate’s article is an outstanding illustration of the value of pondering and following through with the inspiration that comes as a result.
Also in the November Journal, Connie Coddington’s article, “High Standards—Healing Results,” is such a gentle but powerful statement. Her reference to the two husbands who respected their wives’ privacy in speaking with patients reminded me that my husband has never intruded into my practice. And for that I’m very grateful.
Thank you again for a never-ending supply of good articles!
Mount Holly, New Jersey, US
Thought-provoking
As I read the October Journal, I could not help but think that this was perhaps one of the finest issues of this magazine I had ever read! From Nathan Talbot’s “defining-moment” article on “Healing, More than Counting, the People,” to Mary Ten Eyck’s heartwarming account of “At Home in the Arms Of Divine Love” (where she offers an expanded concept of divine Love always meeting our needs “in every contingency”), this issue is truly engaging and thought provoking.
But nothing prepared me for the arresting account of Temesgen Abreha’s article, “In Ethiopia, a Journey of Spiritual Discovery.” What a journey that was! The account literally swept me onto the riverbanks in Ethiopia, where reading an issue of the Christian Science Sentinel led thought into spiritual channels. With tears in my eyes, I saw in each step of the writer’s progress, God’s hand of nurturing and healing.
This article has reawakened in me the value and place of the print edition of the Christian Science magazines and how sharing one copy can change a life forever! The October Journal has not left me where it found me.
Winter Park, Florida, US
Fresh ideas—a good thing
Faith Porter’s list in the October Journal of ten incisive questions to ask ourselves as branch church members is a practical and humbling alert to examine our own worthiness and readiness to welcome new members. The list surely caught my attention! We pray for new members but then sometimes find that they shake the status quo we’ve gotten so comfortable with (especially with a small membership). Fresh ideas from new members are a good thing!
I especially loved #8: “Do I acknowledge that the moment this new member joins, the church is a different church, and am I glad of it?”
May I add an 11th question? “Am I ready to accept that our membership is not two-tiered: longtime members and new members (and that somehow the longtime members have more spiritual insight than the new ones)?”
Thank you, Faith Porter, for shaking out the cobwebs of complacency regarding church membership!
Glendale, Arizona, US
'Fog-free mirror'
The one-pager by Faith Porter in the October Journal is among your best. She gets right to the heart of church membership and gives us a fog-free mirror in which to examine ourselves.
I can remember certain members in various branches whose membership would have been happier and more successful—and the branch that much stronger—if they’d had the benefit of the warmhearted justice underlying the ten questions.
As I digested the article, I was reminded of Mary Baker Eddy’s strong statement: “What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 4). I’ve often thought of this in connection with a needed healing, but never before in relation to worthwhile church membership.
Wayland, Massachusetts, US
A touching issue
I find all issues of the Journal valuable, but I must comment on the September one for the enlightenment it brought to me. The “Michael/Gabriel Model” by Anna Lisa Kronman helped me understand Christian Science nursing better than any previous explanation. The article touched me deeply.
The testimony by Richard and Karen Sevaly gave proof that Love outshines the negative aspects of any situation.
I tend to become emotional occasionally, and the article “Led by the Shepherd” by Michael Morgan tapped that emotional tendency. What a great article and what a great publication.
Bremerton, Washington, US
'Bold, practical comments'
Thank you, thank you, thank you, to Phil Davis, for his thoughtful response to the question posed in the article titled “Saving a Church” in the September issue of the Journal. It really is not about the money, the structure, the cultural heritage—it is about healing! And our individual commitment to expressing church wherever we are.
I thought his comments about overcoming the fear of having to close a church by actually closing it (in order to reignite the fire of its members—their individual and collective vision for healing and embracing the community) were bold and practical. Church is not about the material structure or edifice (though those are often very useful tools), but all about the Christ, Truth, and how that message of Truth is most effectively delivered to the community.
Madison, Wisconsin, US
