BY ANN STOKES

Special to The Pilot

Are you searching for direction? Hoping for answers? Can prayer help? How?

Returning to the Sandhills with a second presentation, John Quincy Adams III, a practitioner and teacher of Christian Science healing from New York City, will speak at the Sandhills Horticultural Gardens Visitors Center at Sandhills Community College Tuesday evening, April 21, at 7:30 p.m.

During his talk "If God is All, Where is He at This Moment?" Adams will discuss how, even when circumstances are overwhelming and there is no answer in sight, many people have found that prayer brings peace and practical solutions to their daily lives.

"When my life seemed to be going in the wrong direction," Adams says, "prayer drew me closer to God. This closeness brought healing and purpose to my life and opened up many possibilities."

As he explains how his life changed, he references the original source book on Christian healing, the Bible, along with "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer and founder of Christian Science, whose book contains universally applicable ideas on practical spirituality. While reading Science and Health from cover to cover three times, Adams was healed in his mid-20s of a serious drug habit.

Speaking from his extensive business experience as the owner of nine flower shops in New York City, Adams shares intense moments when prayer helped him find answers and make difficult decisions.

During this talk the audience will:

n Explore how Christianly scientific prayer wakens individuals in need and draws them closer to God.

n Find a spiritual basis for freedom from illnesses, addictions, and other crises.

n Hear personal experiences that will resurrect hope and guide the listener onto the path of infinite possibilities.

Adams originally moved to New York City from the Midwest to pursue an acting career, studying with Lee Strasberg and Herbert Berghoff.

After the healing that changed his life, he experienced a renewed commitment to his spiritual journey. Eventually he sold his businesses, and in 1985 took up the full-time work as a practitioner of Christian Science healing.

He is available daily to pray with those who call him for help with solving life problems. Now a teacher of Christian Science and a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship, Adams speaks throughout the United States on the power of prayer to heal.

He has also written articles for The Christian Science Journal and Christian Science Sentinel, been interviewed on Sentinel Radio, and recorded for "The Truth That Heals" radio series.

"There is nothing that compares to the moment of healing, of realizing God's actuality and one's innocence as His child," he says. "Healing directly impacts families, friends, neighbors, and communities."

This is Adams' second visit to the Sandhills, and his talk is sponsored by First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Southern Pines. This community event is free, and everyone is welcome. For more information, call (910) 692-7759.

Ann Stokes is the lecture committee chair at First Church of Christ, Scientist.