Articles

I grew up in the city of Rio de Janeiro and was raised very spoiled. I had hardly ever done laundry or performed household chores, since my mom always did all these things and sought to satisfy all my wishes.

Through the ages, mankind has always tried to get closer to God, to that which is higher and more spiritual. Those who have been looking for ways to transcend the material have left signs around the globe.

When I was a child, I used to sing a popular Danish song that translates into English as: “Christmas is coming now, and Christmas continues till Easter.

Do you know the story of Heidi? Every year at Christmas when I was a child, our family doctor’s wife would offer me a book of the series telling the (fictitious) adventures of Heidi, the little Swiss girl who went to live with her grandfather in the mountains because she was an orphan. I would read those books over and over again, fascinated by the qualities of that child and touched by her story.

Those three simple but powerful words can do wonders. For the fearful, insecure, unloved, and lonely, those words are deeply meaningful.

Sitting against the base of a cypress tree, he was not suspicious or forlorn as were some of the men around him. He was reading his Bible and greeted me warmly, saying, “How are you, brother? Grateful for your words, the food, and the book.

When I was five years old, my mom took me to a Christian Science Sunday School for the first time. I continued practicing Christian Science until I was 26, when I met my soon-to-be husband, who was a devout member of another religion.

An understanding and appreciation of the Manual of The Mother Church by Mary Baker Eddy is vital to the progress of every sincere Christian Scientist—but perhaps from a different perspective than may at first be obvious. When we read and study the Church Manual, we certainly become aware of the functioning of the Church body.

“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. … And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons;.

At first read, a person might simply pass over that verse—it could sound like just any other colorful, poetic sentence from the Bible. But when I’ve stopped to think it through, I’ve seen that it presents significant, meaningful, and helpful guidance for effective prayer.