Let's show the world what God can do

You never know who you'll meet in a Christian Science Reading Room. In Palo Alto, CA, you might meet George Pierce, who works there part-time. He's a duathlon (run-bike-run) racer, and he's a champion, despite a 2010 accident that almost ended his career. During a training ride on his bike, Pierce was hit from behind by a car. The next thing he knew, medics were stooped over him asking his name and birth date. At Stanford Hospital he was stabilized and diagnosed with multiple neck and back fractures, but he declined further medical care and within 36 hours he was home.

                                Pierce, 3rd from right, at World Duathlon 2012       George Pierce/Facebook

He didn't recover overnight. He slept in a recliner at first, and sometimes wore a neck brace, but he had great faith that prayer would bring healing. Soon he could take brief walks, and within three months he was running slowly. "When I forgave, that's when healing came faster," he said. "There was no anger, no emotional commitment to the accident. I won't say it was easy. It was hard." Then one day he heard what he describes as an angel message -- "Get ready to race," and in April 2011, one year after the accident, he competed in the Duathlon National Championships in Tucson, AZ, qualifying for the World Championships four months later in Spain. Pierce says the healing recalibrated him. Racing wasn't about winning anymore. It was about "let's show the world and myself who God is, and what God can do."