International speaker on how she found God

There were many in the audience as Nanouche, a teacher and practitioner of Christian Science, spoke about her journey to find God.

After the sudden death of her husband, she experienced a crisis of faith. She had been a practitioner of Christian Science, helping others finding wellness through turning to God in prayer, for many years.

“It wasn’t that I questioned God’s existence,” she stated. “I had too much proof of God in the many healings through prayer I had experienced and witnessed. But I did question God’s all-goodness and His interest in me. I was angry.”

In her lecture, Nanouche recounted her journey to a better understanding of God.

“I had fallen into the trap of considering God in a too human sense - like a man sitting on a throne saying, ‘This person lives, and this one doesn’t live. This person can be happy. This one, miserable.’

“A lot of the suffering I was going through centered on believing God had abandoned me and allowed my husband to leave. This two-faced concept of God – as basically good, but with a random evil side – destabilized me. But as I soon discovered, it was my belief, not God, that was completely off base.”

Nanouche also discussed spiritual sense as the capacity we all have to break through restrictive barriers and beliefs to discover and understand what is real and true.

She offered tips on developing this spiritual sense through regular daily prayer. She noted: “In Christian Science practice, prayer is not self-hypnosis through the repetition of words or sounds to achieve enlightenment. Prayer involves deep, penetrating thought. It is the mindful engagement with God, with good, in small and large ways.

“For some, prayer is an ‘eye’s closed’ experience. For others it’s ‘eyes open’. Some kneel. Others sit. Some stand. Many pray while running! Location and physical position isn’t important of itself.

“It’s not the body’s position, but the heart’s disposition that counts. A heart full of gratitude and humility is most open to hearing, feeling, seeing and expressing more of God’s goodness in prayer.”

She also shared details of her journey to healing of a painful breast growth in 2001, and what she learned about God through that process.

Nanouche’s lecture was based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and from ideas discussed in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy the discoverer and founder of Christian Science. Afterward, she met and spoke with many members of the audience. She had travelled from her home in Paris, France.

This public talk was sponsored by members of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Horsham.

If you would like to learn more about the ideas shared, please visit her website at www.michellenanouchecsb.com.

For general information on Christian Science, you can go to www.christianscience.com or visit your local Christian Science Reading Room.

Report contributed by The Christian Science Board of Lectureship office.