What a time to be parenting a Generation Z kid! 

There are so many things vying for my children’s attention. I want to be doing intentional things in my parenting journey that show them who Christ is, but, I am not going to lie, it’s hard. I am always reading books, articles and blog posts. I want to impact my kids' lives — a positive impact for Christ. Here's what I'm learning:

A recent Barna study¹ shows that more than half of Gen Z are motivated to learn about Christ. Parents are the most influential and important people in kids’ lives.

What Do We Know About Gen Z?

There are many definitions of who Gen Z is, but many consider them kids born approximately between 1997 and 2012. According to Pew Research,² Gen Z is the most diverse generation, and they are also on track to be the most educated. 

Gen Zers lean more progressive on social/political issues. They are more inclusive, open-minded and sensitive to people’s feelings. They have almost no memory of a world before smartphone technology. They are often referred to as Digital Natives. Some researchers have linked the use of smartphones with the growth of anxiety and depression in this group. Values and authentic commitment are important to Gen Zers. 

Knowing what we do about Gen Z, it is important as parents and adults in the church to provide an authentic Christian experience for this group. We learned from a Gleaner article on Gen Z³ last year written by Carolann De León: “Our kids, youth and young adults are desperately longing for peace and joy. As we disciple them into a relationship with the only fountain of sustainable life, they will find the strength and peace to move beyond their debilitating mental health symptoms and the courage to accept mental health support without shame.”

Practical Ways to Reach Gen Z for Christ

Utilize Technology

Gen Z learns with a multisensory experience, often with technology involved. We need to provide ways for them to learn about the Bible and Christ in the ways they learn best. Let them ask questions, eat/drink, fidget and move when talking with them about Christ and Christianity. They want to actively participate in discussions at home, school and church.

Genuine Relationships

Gen Zers want authentic, real relationships based on trust. They want parents, teachers, pastors and family friends who will walk beside them. So get to know this generation better. Engage with the kids in your home, school and church. Provide a judgment-free zone where they are comfortable asking questions and grappling together over issues.

“When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the good news and share in its blessings” (1 Cor. 9:23–24).

Get Involved in Community Outreach

Gen Z wants to see your faith be lived out in the community. So bring your kids to community events, outreach opportunities and bridge events. They want to see Christianity in action. If your church or school isn’t actively involved in outreach to the local community, then it’s time for you to help plan those events. Better yet, let the young people plan them. They love having actual leadership roles in the church.

These are just three practical ways to reach Gen Z for Christ as we help to nurture peace, real relationships and a sense of belonging. Gen Z needs authentic mentors. Don’t be afraid to talk openly about mental health issues with Gen Z. Ask them real questions and get to know them. This generation can change the world for Christ — it’s daunting and exciting to be parenting this generation of young people.

John 14:27 tells us, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Sources:

1. “Over Half of Gen Z Teens Feel Motivated to Learn More about Jesus.” Barna Group, June 27, 2023. https://www.barna.com/research/teens-and-jesus/.

2. Parker, Kim. “On the Cusp of Adulthood and Facing an Uncertain Future: What We Know about Gen Z so Far.” Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project, May 14, 2020. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/05/14/on-the-cusp-of-adulthood-and-facing-an-uncertain-future-what-we-know-about-gen-z-so-far-2/.

3. De León, Carolann. “Trauma-Responsive Discipleship.” Northwest Adventists, November 15, 2023. https://nwadventists.com/news/2023/06/trauma-responsive-discipleship.

On April 15, 1912, one of the most luxurious and technologically advanced ships of its time sank. Why did it sink? The Titanic sank because they underestimated the dangers of icebergs. The portion of the iceberg you see only constitutes about 10% of its overall mass. What is hidden is much more dangerous than what is visible. 

As human beings, we often struggle with inconsistency. It's frightfully easy to slip into the practice of saying to people, "Do as I say, not as I do." In many ways, we can become a human embodiment of the iceberg principle — showing people our best 10% and hiding the rest below the surface. Sometimes we fall into this trap for all the “right” reasons. We want to be — or feel we have to be — a better example than we actually are.

Jeremiah proclaimed, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9). Is your religion a true religion, or a performative event in which you take part? True Christians will talk the talk and walk the walk, empowered and enabled by God. Instead of using ourselves or others as an example to be followed, we should always point people towards Jesus. Jesus and Jesus alone is the one we should seek to emulate and imitate. In Christ, there is safety from the stormiest of seas.

Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John are useful here, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). There is a tug of war that occurs in even the most converted of human hearts. Now, more than ever, faithfulness to God’s law of love and authenticity matter. 

On our own, we are incapable of living a truly transformed Christian life. It's only through a daily surrendering of self, a wholehearted submission of selfish desires and gain, that we can be truly genuine and devoted Christians. 

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1–3).

Jesus promises that He will be with the true seeker, and He will help our words and actions match. He wants us to be truly transformed by Him living in us. He wants to make us new in Him — not just knowers of the "right" but livers of the truth, Jesus Christ, that has transformed our whole being.

How is this accomplished in our lives? It's accomplished through daily submission to Jesus and through reading the Bible — not just to check off a box for the day or to have an advantage over others. Read the Bible to get to know who Jesus is and what He desires to do in our lives. Pray to be like Jesus and that His ways become our ways.

“For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved” (Rom. 10:10).

If we truly seek Jesus, the Holy Spirit will enable us to live out our faith. With Jesus in our lives and the working of the Holy Spirit we will more fully embody the true nature of Jesus. We can be authentic Christians who strive to submit our lives more fully each day to Jesus. Then our actions will display this transformation in our lives. This is to be the goal of a Christian’s life.

I appreciate Ellen White’s statement on this principle in The Acts of the Apostles: “Sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, a day, but of a lifetime. It is not gained by a happy flight of feeling, but is the result of constantly dying to sin, and constantly living for Christ."

God doesn't want icebergs — people who say one thing but, in private or in the secret of their home, act in a completely different way. Rather God wants mountains. 

He wants our actions to match our hearts; to truly be transformed by a relationship with Him and have our actions be a true representation of that relationship.

Stand tall and proud because what you have learned about God has changed you; what you say is what you truly believe and live. Stand like a mountain, pointing ever upward to God as the true light and leader of your life.

As a young adult, several friends invited me to attend church with them. I was searching for God and truth. This led me to study the Bible.

Soon I was born again of the Holy Spirit and baptized as a Seventh-day Adventist with a new heart devoted to God. My habits and priorities began to change.

The Holy Spirit planted in my heart a desire to tell others about how God had changed my life. The gospel of Jesus Christ has power. I could not shake the desire to share my newfound faith with friends and family.

The conference where I lived held a witnessing training weekend. Someone at the event preached a sermon based on Exod. 4:2.

There, we find the call of God to Moses when he was in Midian, just after he turned to explore the burning bush. Moses heard the call and listened to God call him to do something for Him.

However, Moses did not believe he could accomplish anything significant for God. I don’t remember much about the message except for how the pastor pressed the question, “What is that in your hand?”

This was a powerful question. It still is.

For Moses, his hand held a shepherd’s rod.

The Creator God has given gifts and talents to all humankind — to all nations, peoples and tongues — male and female, young and old, poor and rich.

When we desire to be a blessing to God and others, the first place to look is at what God has placed in our hands already.

What talent has He given you? What spiritual gift has He given you? What education has He blessed you with? What career or vocation has He given you? What skills have you learned in your work? What hobbies have you learned and enjoy? What friends has He given you? What family members need God’s transforming power?

The North American Division is talking about a new evangelism initiative called Pentecost 2025. The goal is to hold 3,000 evangelistic proclamation events in North America during 2025.

The NAD is working to raise funds to assist each local church that volunteers to hold an event. North Pacific Union is also going to provide funding for churches that hold evangelistic proclamation events.

The Voice of Prophecy is providing training and resources to assist churches and pastors. In fact, all the NAD media ministries are actively looking for ways to assist local churches for this evangelism initiative.

To prepare for Pentecost 2025, we must use the rest of 2024 for preparation. How? Start where you are. Evaluate what is in your hand.

God will bless anyone who will partner with Him to win souls. Look around you at what God has provided already.

After I heard God’s call, I found a stack of invitations to a prophecy presentation in my hand. Sharing those with family and friends, as well as explaining how my life had changed, resulted in my two brothers attending the meetings. Both were baptized.

This Gleaner issue features a plenitude of stories — in both traditional and unusual third spaces — about how Northwest Adventists are using God’s gifts in their hands to creatively build community, share the Good News of Jesus and reach just one more person. As you read and reflect, listen to how God is prompting you to respond to His question, “What is that in your hand?”

I often live out my life through mental narratives about what’s likely to happen next. Yet, life doesn’t have a perfect playbook.

When recently I parked my car and stepped out to start my workday, I realized three things very quickly: 1. I uncharacteristically forgot my computer bag; 2. There was a hissing sound coming from my car; and 3. My day was taking a very different turn.

God had a surprise in store for me for His heavenly playbook for my life.

I soon found a protruding object in my car’s back tire that I likely picked up from an accidentally discovered pothole.

With a quick call of confirmation back home, I mapped out and then carefully drove to the nearest tire shop where technicians assessed the situation and promised to take care of it.

With unexpected time on my hands, I settled in the waiting room with a copy of A Way Forward, by Caleb Foss where I learned more about the art of being interested versus interesting.

This approach to thinking and living is about understanding your identity in Christ first, and then showing increased interest in other people’s lives. It truly does make life more interesting!

After a productive morning of waiting, I headed to lunch where I noticed an older man approach the car parked next to mine. I instantly recognized the university name emblazoned on his sweatshirt.

As a fellow master’s graduate, I had to say something and stepped out of my car to greet him. I soon learned his name is Scotty and we had a great conversation in the parking lot that quickly turned to faith and common connections between our faith traditions and our lived experiences.

“Those of us who believe in Jesus need to stick together,” Scotty proclaimed. “Signs of the end are all around and Bible prophecy is evident. We need each other.”

Sometimes I hear people say how hard it is to share their faith or make new friends. Sometimes I have thoughts like this, too. My mental narrative tells me I’m not enough in some way, shape or form.

However, I keep finding experiences where God is orchestrating various interactions where a simple curiosity, kindness or willingness to be interested turns into a divine appointment. God just asks me to be willing to go on His errands, and He takes care of the rest.

These encounters remind me God works through the seemingly mundane aspects of life to connect us with others in profound ways. Sometimes our world is right in front of us, waiting for us to show up; to not shirk our word, calling or responsibilities; to make a difference in someone’s life for a moment or for eternity; to cultivate joy, peace and grace on the journey toward heaven. That’s the best playbook for life!

Table Talk Prompt

What divine appointments has God set up for you recently? How do divine appointments in your life recalibrate your spiritual walk and your relationship with others?

One summer in Walla Walla, I had the opportunity to tour University Church with Kraig Scott, Walla Walla University music professor. He taught us about the inner workings of the church organ and demonstrated all the different notes the magnificent instrument can play.

A moment I will never forget is when Scott surprised us all by holding the lowest note for an uncomfortably long time. It sounded like a sledgehammer and made everyone cover their ears.

In isolation, it appeared to be an unnecessary key — something that should come with a warning, "Do not touch!"

Yet, when Scott included that note as a compliment to all the keys in his repertoire, it took on a powerful quality that made the music come to life.

The symphony of majestic sound would not have been possible without the “sledgehammer” note. It was a powerful reminder that the best music comes through harmony, not uniformity.

Perhaps this is what the apostle Paul was thinking of when he talked about the church being the body of Christ. Each part of the body works to complement the other parts. It’s not about competition; it's about integration.

Paul makes the point, “The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don’t need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don’t need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.”

It is tempting to dismiss those we disagree with as “unnecessary.” I confess I have scratched my head, laughed and cried at comments fellow believers have made at church business sessions.

The music we like, the preachers we listen to and the way we interpret life varies. We are different, and that is okay. What is not okay is thinking that our church would be better if we could just make everyone speak and think exactly the same.

There is a folk song that plays through my head when people start disagreeing at church. It’s called, "All of God’s Creatures Have a Place in the Choir," and it speaks to how our diversity can actually be our strength. If interested, go to YouTube and check out the A Place in the Choir Lyric Video.

One of the best pieces of advice to new board members and administrators of an organization is to avoid surprises. An organization and its leaders should mitigate surprises by being timely and transparent if they're going to work together effectively.

Advance preparation can minimize negative surprises. Being familiar with the institution's risk factors, paying attention, preparing for board meetings in advance, getting more information before the meeting if needed and asking questions — especially the "dumb" ones — are deceptively simple strategies.

Why it Matters

Negative surprises shock everyone within and beyond the institution. Its reputation, confidence in its leaders and its future, and its access to resources take a hit. Bad news often divides boards and staff, and it compromises trust. It's easy to forget that preventing or preparing for what might happen is as important as deciding what will happen, and it could go beyond what risk management and insurance coverage may cover.

The Bottom Line

Board members who prepare, pay attention and develop a solid sense of their organization's reality are well-positioned for any potential surprise. They can think on multiple tracks — logical and imaginative, or analytical and hypothetical — instead of scrambling to catch up on essential information. They can focus on future ramifications and alternative options that help the board make better decisions. The foundation of a great board is members who know the institution, its environment and good governance.

If you serve on a board or committee at any level, keep informed and stay engaged. The future of the organization depends on it.

Editorial Note: Meet Cortnee Blayton, a social media marketer for an e-commerce company in Seattle, and join her in a #NWAdventists blogging journey about everyday faith. Her favorite Christian saying is "God doesn't call the qualified, but qualifies the called."

As boards and committees reconvene and new members join throughout the year, it's important to understand the basic responsibilities of a board member.

Maybe you agreed to join the board because you felt some obligation to the nominating committee — or person — that asked you to do it, or perhaps you thought it would be a good opportunity for community involvement. Now that the time has come, you're unsure what your role is or how to add value. A good place to start is with the legal duties of board members.

Under the law, directors and officers of an entity are called "fiduciaries." Fiduciaries have certain duties.

What is a fiduciary?

Simply put, a fiduciary is a trustee or caretaker. It's a person — or group of people — that watches over an item of value on another person's behalf. For example, if you serve on your conference's executive committee, you are a fiduciary in your role as a committee member. As such, you are part of a group — the executive committee — that is entrusted by the conference constituency with the oversight and taking care of the local conference organization.

What are a fiduciary's duties?

Fiduciaries have three primary duties: the duty of obedience, the duty of care and the duty of loyalty.

1. Duty of Obedience

Fiduciaries must make decisions that comply with the law and with an organization's governing documents and mission.

Let's use the example of serving on a school board. Each board member has a duty to comply with what they know — both explicitly and implicitly — about the laws, rules and policies that apply to the school. 

As fiduciaries, board members do not have the luxury of doing what they please. Board members cannot simply ignore the law or an organization's governing documents — i.e., articles of incorporation, charter, bylaws, parliamentary procedure rules or policies. They cannot choose when they want to follow these documents and when they don't. Of course, this assumes board members have a basic knowledge of the governing documents that exist and their provisions, and it assumes they know where to find the details when needed or applicable.

2. Duty of Care

Fiduciaries must make decisions with care. More specifically, they have to make choices with the amount of care that a reasonable person would have in a similar situation and that they reasonably believe to be in the best interests of the organization. Board members don't have the luxury of not knowing what's going on in an organization or of turning their heads when they don't want to deal with difficult issues. 

At a foundational level, exercising a duty of care as a board member means you attend board meetings and prep for them by reading materials in advance and coming ready to meaningfully engage. The care level must be high.

3. Duty of Loyalty

Fiduciaries must make decisions in the best interests of the organization, not in their own best interests. They have a duty to use the resources and information of the entity for the entity's benefit, not their own benefit. This duty includes their responsibility to recuse themselves from discussion and votes on actions where they have a conflict of interest. 

When it comes to organizational decisions, board members have an obligation to view decisions through the lens of the organization as a whole, not considering what would benefit them personally or what might benefit their specific group or constituency.

Your Job

If you are a board member, don't get distracted from your basic fiduciary responsibilities of obedience, care and loyalty. The best way you can serve your organization is by providing meaningful leadership that is in line with the group's governing documents and purposes, that gives good attention to the progress of the group and that works for the good of the entire group.

I remember the day that particularly shaped me during the summer of my 10th-grade year when I was working on an academy campus caring for the buildings and grounds.

The principal and maintenance director came and asked me to lead the work crew for two weeks while the director was on vacation. There was still the grounds director from whom I would receive guidance as needed, but they gave me the keys to the buildings and the outline of the routine tasks that needed to be done by the student crew. I was empowered! 

The theme of this education-focused Gleaner is empowering change-makers. Empowering and enabling means we are helping someone — our students — to be stronger, more confident and ready to take initiative and make a positive mission impact in our world.

Scripture is repetitive with stories of God empowering men and women with the opportunity to be His change agents. Stories of Moses, Joseph, Esther and the disciples are just a few examples.

Our church was birthed by God empowering William Miller to “go tell it to the world,” and there were so many others who were empowered and took on the cause of sharing the Three Angels’ Messages. Those empowered individuals created a movement that is still active in changing the hearts of men, women, boys and girls.

I can speak from experience that when someone is enabled and empowered, their engagement, self-worth and purpose increase. Relationships benefit. Change occurs in the individual who was empowered, as well as in others impacted by the change.

It is exciting for me to share that our Pacific Northwest classrooms have teachers who are practicing the most effective growth strategy we have in the development of students — that is empowerment.

Our schools, from early childhood through our university, are instructing, mentoring and engaging students — from the very young to young adults — to be change-makers. We need our young people, and they need to know we trust them, we affirm them and that they belong with us in being change-makers.

Our K–12 education mission in North America is “to enable learners to develop a life of faith in God, and to use their knowledge, skills and understandings to serve God and humanity.”

As you read school stories and view their pictures, I trust you will be encouraged by the work of our teachers and the growth that is happening in our students.

Please offer a prayer of thanksgiving for what is happening and a prayer for the Holy Spirit to continue growing each of us in our belief that we are empowered by God to also be change-makers on this earth.

"Dr. Nkana, is that you?" I asked as we passed in a hotel convention center.

It had been 21 years since I was in Sam Nkana’s college classroom. He was a first-year college professor, and I was a sophomore encountering my first major-specific class.

Not long into the semester, tensions arose between Nkana and his class. We had multiple clashes of ideas, and it didn’t seem like there was an easy way to resolve our frustrations. Despite seeking intervention from the dean, the atmosphere remained strained.

One day, while discussing theories of public relations, my pent-up frustration burst forth. Seated amid my peers, I boldly interrupted Nkana with pointed questions: “So what? Now what? How does this apply to real life?”

The whole class held its breath. The undercurrent of dissatisfaction had pervaded the semester.

Nkana stopped his lecture and stood in silence. We waited in absolute silence.

A moment later, he gave a considered response. His response must have been somewhat acceptable to calm me and the rest of the class. The semester did become slightly better through gradual shifts in our learning and application, but the relationships within the class were still tenuous.

Years have blurred the specifics, yet one detail remains vivid: my disrespectful attitude. I dismissed the potential for learning from this new professor tasked with shaping my career's foundation.

I've regretted my attitude ever since and even told God in recent years that if our paths ever crossed again I would apologize.

Unexpectedly, that moment arrived recently at a convention center. Nkana, now a faculty sponsor, was surveying the venue with colleagues while I talked with a former classmate-turned-colleague.

As I called out his name, a flicker of recognition registered on his face. Reintroducing myself, I shared a summary of my memories and the subsequent regret.

He was surprised, yet open, to the conversation and the apology I offered. He then shared how he remembered where I sat in his classroom, the specific question that I had asked and how my "so what?" question spurred him to make sure the theories he taught had practical application.

To this day, in whatever type of academic or spiritual topic he is teaching, he makes sure to include a solid point of application. Little did we know from those first tension-filled classroom interactions how much we would influence one another in different ways.

My initial apology turned into a sacred space for a lengthy, nearly two-hour conversation between a professor and two of his former students.

We reminisced about our life experiences, intertwining personal anecdotes with profound reflections on education and personal growth. The conversation flowed effortlessly, threading through memories of challenging class discussions and exploring how perspectives had changed over time.

The weight of regret transformed into a sense of closure and peace, fostering new bridges of connection built upon understanding, forgiveness and common ground.

Reflecting on this unexpected encounter, I recognized the profound potential of reciprocal growth, both within the confines of the classroom and in life’s diverse landscape.

Life presents us with invaluable opportunities to engage, listen and glean wisdom from each other's journeys. It's within these moments that mutual learning, understanding, goodwill and personal development flourish, fueled by an open heart, genuine curiosity and a steadfast grounding in our identity as followers of Christ.

Encountering Nkana after all those years was more than a significant reunion and reconciliation; it was a meaningful revelation of the impact that genuine dialogue, generosity of thought and openness to learning can impart.

Table Talk Prompt

What conflicts and tensions in your life have provided you with valuable life lessons? Who is a person from your past or present with whom you need to reconcile?

My ancestors have lived on the Salish Sea for centuries. My Coast Salish people have maintained a strong, resilient, beautiful culture centered around the incomparable Salish Sea.

I was excited when our local Adventist school, Skagit Adventist Academy, developed a partnership with The Salish Sea School — based in Anacortes, Washington — Students Training as Research Scientists program and the sophomore biology class. One, my daughter, Isabella, is in the sophomore biology class, and two, I am always up for a hands-on, in-the-field education experience.

The Salish Sea School is a “boat- and shore-based marine conservation adventure and research program to create action-oriented student leaders for the Salish Sea and beyond.”

When The Salish Sea School reached out to Zach Mason, SAA science program director, he was very interested. “My entire philosophy of science education is centered around students doing science and not just reading about it or watching it happen on a screen,” Mason said.

The students are taking part in a long-term project by sampling and counting forage fish eggs that have been laid along the high tide line and collecting environmental data at a single location over several months. What great exposure to marine field research for our sophomore biology students!

Students are being coached by field scientists on standard sampling and surveying techniques, providing them with a unique insight into how science is done professionally, as well as giving them useful skills should they choose to pursue an internship in marine science.

Isabella told me that two helpful and knowledgeable ladies teach this marine research program. They separate the large sand samples and look at them under a microscope. With excitement, Isabella told me they saw smelt eggs* under the microscope, and last week they even saw a smelt egg hatch! “It was very cool!”

These programs with The Salish Sea School are generally not free, so we are so blessed at SAA to be partnering in marine education and conservation with this local school. For our students, this experience shows them what marine biology fieldwork is like.

I am grateful for this great experience for our students at SAA. Our students need to learn the impact that marine life and the ocean have on us and the importance of conservation.

Gen. 2:15 tells us, “The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.”

---

*Author's note: As a child, growing up in the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, I participated in the annual smelt derby each year in February in La Conner. Our family would catch these tiny fish with poles as they swam down the Swinomish Channel. It was an exciting family activity and provided an affordable dinner for the whole family.

The smelt were so abundant when I was a child. Now, their numbers aren’t as strong. So to have my daughter “studying” the smelt habitat and eggs is pretty awesome. I am thankful she is a small part of this marine research.

​How do we get a church to grow? Not just sprout then wither, but really grow. The longer I have been an Adventist and a pastor the more I am convinced we often start at the wrong spot when trying to enact growth within our churches.

We are good at forming committees, writing books and making vision statements, and we know all the right strategies for creating growth. But honestly, we are less successful than we would like or ought to be. So what’s the problem?

​I would argue that creating growth within our churches shouldn't be the main focus. If we are focused on growth, we are focusing on the end result we want, not the actual steps to accomplishing that goal. There really are two things we need to focus on if we want to enact lasting growth.

​First, read the Bible. It isn’t enough to hear a sermon each Sabbath; it isn’t enough to once a week think about God. We need to actually dive into the Word of God for ourselves regularly. When we study the Bible, we are learning about God, His desires for our lives and the great plan of salvation.

It's through regular biblical study that we will begin to be transformed by God’s words living in us. The story of salvation, the great love of Christ for us and the truth that we can be saved when we accept His great sacrifice on our behalf is learned through reading scripture.

​If we desire to become a triathlete, we practice and train. Not just once in a while, not just the day before a race — regularly. There is no hope of being ready for the race without the proper pre-work. So it is with growth within the church. We can’t show up one day and expect that suddenly the church will grow without putting in the pre-work that is needed.

​Reading scripture regularly, daily, is vital for forming a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If we have a personal relationship with Jesus now we have something to share with others. Now our relationship with Jesus is alive enough to be visible to others.

When a whole church dedicates themselves to studying the Bible — really reading it themselves — a true transformation takes place. Suddenly there is something to share when someone walks in the door; suddenly there is a spirit of Godliness that is present in the church that is appealing to people as they come in. We can only truly share what we already have.

​The second thing we need to do to enact true church growth is partake in regular prayer time with God. It is through Bible reading and prayer that we commune with God and it is how we bring our characters into submission to God.

By beholding we become changed. What we take in is what we give out. Growth is not possible if we aren’t dedicated to God first and foremost. And we can’t know God personally, be truly transformed by Him or be able to share about Him if we don’t first have a personal relationship with Him.

​My challenge for you is to stop looking for church growth, revival and reformation. Instead, focus on God first. Get to know Him in a meaningful way through regular scripture reading and prayer.

Then your personal relationship with Jesus will be something you can share with others. When a church devotes itself to this sole purpose — a thriving relationship with Jesus Christ — that church will grow!

"Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matt. 11:29).

When a pastor graduates from school, they receive a Master of Divinity degree.

Recently I was reflecting on how arrogant that sounds. Sure, you may have a master’s in accounting, arts or science, but have you mastered the study of God?

This is especially startling when I think back on all my opinions about religion and God that are different now than a decade ago while I was getting my degree. The only thing I know now for sure is I still have a lot to learn.

Are we confident enough to admit we don't have all the answers? Have you ever changed your mind about a political or religious belief?

As you take a minute to reflect on that, I will share a belief that changed for me while I was getting my master's.

Before attending seminary, I read books and listened to hours of presentations about the danger of something called the emergent church and spiritual formation.

I was convinced these things were deadly and divisive. I even signed a statement against the teaching of spiritual formation at Andrews University and talked to a conference president about my concerns. When I got to Andrews, I was highly skeptical of a class called Biblical Formation.

I had read an article in the Adventist Review explaining how the class changed its name from Spiritual Formation to Biblical Formation[1] and thought the name change was a conspiracy to trick more people into being sucked into the dangerous deception.

I was on high alert and my antenna was tuned for any spiritualism the teachers were trying to “sneak through.”

However, in my Biblical Formation class, I learned that what was being taught was literally how to have a devotional life.

We read the Bible, Desire of Ages and we were encouraged to pray and record our devotional time in a prayer journal. My teacher was loving, patient and kind. He answered all my questions and even invited my wife and me over to his home for Thanksgiving.

The combination of kindness and thoughtful answers helped change my mind. I began to see that all the books and hours of presentations I consumed attacking spiritual formation contained mostly slanderous information. I was misinformed, but my teachers at Andrews University didn't shame me for the way I thought — they were patient with me.

The journey continues. I realize I have many opinions about the world and religion that may still be wrong. I am convinced the path forward is pursuing answers with curiosity, honesty and intellectual humility.

Irrational faith is not a virtue. Pretending that we have it all figured out and that we have nothing to learn ultimately does damage to genuine faith.

A couple of years ago I listened to a conference by the Barna group that talked about the difference between intellectual humility and general humility. General humility is how you see yourself. Intellectual humility is how you see your knowledge.  

Intellectual humility relates to everyone. It means you have an accurate perception of your strengths and weaknesses. This kind of humility has four practical behaviors.

1. When you are humble about your knowledge, you will not be overconfident.

2. You won’t become defensive when people have different perspectives than you.

3. You will be open to revision when necessary.

4. You will respect the viewpoint of others.

A Litmus test for Christians is how we relate to those who disagree with us. Throughout church history, millions of martyrs have been burned at the stake because of their “heretical” beliefs.

I find it telling that in all of church history no one has been punished as a heretic for being unloving. But Jesus put the litmus test this way, “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

According to this test, some atheists end up looking more “Christian” than Christians. We should reflect on this, and it should lead to a humility that confronts the arrogance so prevalent in parts of Christianity today. I believe the closer we become to “mastering divinity” the humbler and more loving we will become.

[1] Knott, Bill. “Formed in Christ.” Adventist Review, August 10, 2011. https://adventistreview.org/2011-1522/2011-1522-18/.

One of the most common nightmare scenarios as a public speaker is the idea of ending up in front of a group of people when you aren’t fully clothed. Being exposed, ridiculed and unprepared is enough to cause most people a fair amount of anxiety.

We would never walk out of our house naked in the morning, exposed to the world and people’s stares. We would never run errands in the buff or attend an event without proper attire.

If we would never go around in our daily lives unclothed, if we would never be caught unprepared in regular life, it begs the question: As Christians, why do we so often walk around spiritually naked?

​The Bible tells of a great battle that is raging on this planet: The Great Controversy, the battle between God and Satan. This battle revolves around us, human beings. Our lives are the battlefield, and it is filled with intense warfare. 

Satan desires to draw us away from God, to discourage us, to cause us to give into sin and leave God behind. God, however, works earnestly to draw us near to Him, to remind us that He loves us and desires to save us. But the choice is ultimately ours: Who will we follow?

​As we live our lives, with this battle raging, how do we make sure we are prepared to encounter everything that is hurled at us?

In the Bible, we are told that God has prepared a special suit of armor for us. He provides all the necessary elements to keep us safe. Our job is simply to accept it and seek it daily.

The armor of God is listed in Eph. 6:10–18. God tells us to put on the full armor, not just certain parts but the whole suit of armor. He doesn't tell us this because He wants to control us, rather He desires that we would be covered and safe as we deal with Satan and his attacks on us.

First, we are to put on the Belt of Truth. Scripture is clear on who and what real truth is. John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” We are to begin with Jesus as our truth. When we start with Him as the real truth, we can be safe. We are to hold steadfast to the Truth of God Himself and His leading in our lives.

Then we put on the Breastplate of Righteousness. By ourselves, we are not righteous, not even close. If we had to rely on our own righteousness for salvation, we would be lost. Scripture tells us that we can take Jesus’ righteousness as our own, and then stand covered in Him. David writes about how God alone is truly righteous. Psalm 11:7, “The Lord is righteous.”

A few chapters later, Job writes about how putting on God’s righteousness truly clothes and covers us. Job 29:14, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me.” God provides the righteousness for us, creating yet another element of the armor we can put on from Him.

Next, we are to cover our feet, fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace. I think of this as being grounded in the gospel. When I truly accept Jesus and His sacrifice for me, when I give up myself and let God lead my life, I have peace beyond anything the world can ever give. 

The next piece of armor is the Shield of Faith. Our faith in Jesus as Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer creates a shield that extinguishes the flaming arrows of the devil. Our faith in Jesus thwarts Satan’s attempts to distract us and harm us. We are safe and shielded when we remain steadfast in our belief and faith in Jesus.

The Helmet of Salvation is next. We put on a strong helmet to protect our heads from harm. We are also to put on our spiritual helmet — remember that our salvation rests in Jesus and He has provided a way for us to be safe and secure.

Finally, the only weapon mentioned is the Sword of the Spirit. Through Jesus Spirit living in us, we can combat whatever Satan throws our way. There is nothing we can say or do on our own that will strike a blow to Satan, but when we rely on God and scripture, that cuts Satan to the core. Satan knows he can’t win against God, and when we fight with God as our weapon he must flee away.

My challenge to you is: Don't go around spiritually naked. Put on the whole armor of God; then you will be able to withstand anything Satan throws at you.

Much like getting dressed in the morning to start your day, we are to clothe ourselves spiritually. If we spend time with God on a regular basis, we can be truly prepared for each and every day.

With 50 million copies sold, not only is Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" the best-selling Christmas song of all time, it's also the best-selling single ever, according to Guinness World Records.                                                 

Though it was written for a musical that eventually became the classic flick Holiday Inn, the song has a sad backstory too. It was written by Irving Berlin, a Russian-born immigrant who, interestingly enough, did not celebrate Christmas, as he was Jewish. Berlin's 3-week-old son had died on Christmas day in 1928, so every year on Dec. 25, he and his wife visited their baby's grave. The song may have been Berlin’s way of responding in some way to his melancholy about the death of his son.

On Dec. 7, 1941, a surprise attack by the Japanese did unfathomable damage and caused great loss of life at the American port at Pearl Harbor. Franklin Roosevelt summoned his military leaders to the White House and ordered a bombing raid on Japan. The country was at war.

Just a few days after this — Dec. 24, 1941 — Bing Crosby introduced "White Christmas" on his highly successful radio broadcast, Kraft Music Hall, and the song struck a chord for families trying to recapture the peace and hope of the Christmas season.

As I write this, the Christmas season is in full swing, and I am reminded that our world today is still looking to find or recapture peace and hope. And though the song "White Christmas" had its place, it could not then and will not now bring true peace and hope.

There is, however, a story that includes a few special individuals who were looking to recapture peace and hope. It took place during what would become the very first Christmas season. Those few special individuals are ones that quickly come to mind when I think of that first Christmas.

I think of Mary and of her response to the angel Gabriel’s words, informing her that she would be with child, conceived of the Holy Spirit. She would be "mom" to the long-expected Savior of the world. Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

According to your word! Mary had complete faith in the coming Messiah. She was looking for His coming.

"Her acquiescence in the will of God concerning her, v. 38. She owns herself, ... A believing expectant of the divine favor. She is not only content that it should be so, but humbly desires that it may be so: Be it unto me according to thy word. Such a favor as this it was not for her to slight, or be indifferent to; and for what God has promised he will be sought unto; by prayer we must put our amen, or so be it, to the promise. Remember, and perform thy word unto thy servant, upon which thou has caused me to hope. We must, as Mary here, guide our desires by the word of God, and ground our hopes upon it. Be it unto me according to thy word; just so, and no otherwise" (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible).

Mary was looking for the coming Messiah because it was according to God’s word. She was not looking for His promise with indifference but with hope, and when given her part to play in that promise – amen, so be it!

I remember the shepherds, who were watching their flocks on that blessed night when Jesus was born — the first to receive the magnificent news.

"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger'” (Luke 2:8–12).

Why share with these lowly and humble shepherds above all others? "In the fields where the boy David had led his flock, shepherds were still keeping watch by night. Through the silent hours they talked together of the promised Savior and prayed for the coming of the King to David's throne" (The Desire of Ages, pg. 47).

These humble shepherds, despised by many, were looking for the coming Messiah as well. In the place of their calling, amid their work, they were talking of and praying for the promised One. It didn’t stop in the fields. According to God’s word, they left the fields for a manger where they greeted baby Jesus, and leaving they made known all they had seen and heard.

Then there is Anna the prophetess. It is hard to imagine just how faithful she had been in looking for the coming Savior.

"And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was 84. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:36–38).

Not departing from the temple, fasting and praying night and day, Anna was faithfully looking for the Messiah. That day, at the appointed hour, she was giving thanks and speaking to all who were waiting, because she had seen the One she was looking for.

We could add Joseph, Simeon and the Magi, each of whom were looking for the promised Messiah. Joseph followed the command of the Lord, taking Mary to be his wife, when it seemed best to do just the opposite. Simeon, who would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ, faithfully was looking. The Magi saw a star that lingered in the sky like no other, and then searched and followed the star out of Jacob. Each were looking for and seeking the Messiah.

The story of the first Christmas is the story of Immanuel, God with us, and as we have seen it is also the story of a few special individuals who were looking for peace and hope. More importantly though, they were looking for the coming of Jesus, the only way to true peace and hope.

From that very first Christmas season, through the Christmas season of 1941 and right up to today as I am writing this, our world really hasn’t changed. We are still trying to recapture the peace and hope of the Christmas season. And much like that first Christmas, the only way there is through the promised One. Here is the beautiful part to all of this: Just as in the first Christmas season, Jesus is coming soon!

During the Christmas season of 1941, as our country came into war, Bing Crosby introduced "White Christmas" and it struck a chord for families trying to recapture the peacefulness and hope of the Christmas season. The following year the song was played over and over by Armed Forces Radio to remind the troops of home during the Christmas season. Some thought it would make the troops sad as they longed to be home with their families, but it was the longing for home, for a better place and time that made "White Christmas" the beloved Christmas song we know today.

Over and over again, year in and year out, we experience the Christmas season. Does it make you long for home, for a better place and time? Do we have true peace and hope? Do we find ourselves looking for a soon coming Savior?

I want to be like those special few that first Christmas? I want to be faithfully, anxiously looking for Jesus’ promised coming. Given my part to play in that promise, amen, so be it! In the place of my calling, amid my work, talking of and praying for the promised One. Not leaving the temple — God’s presence — faithfully looking for and proclaiming to all who will hear, the soon return of Jesus.

I want to, in some way, bring peace and hope to this Christmas season.

You all probably know where the title of this article came from. It is the title of the theme song of Walt Disney’s Pinocchio, the 1940 animated hit film. The opening verse was sung by the character Jiminy Cricket and is quite memorable:

 “When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you”

The song quickly became a classic. The American Film Institute rated it “seventh out of 100 of the greatest songs in film history.” In Nordic countries, it is even considered a Christmas song and is played every December. For Disney, it became so popular that it has become their corporate theme song.

It encapsulates ideas that Disney promotes. Happiness is found in personal dreams coming true. When you are not able to fulfill your dreams, it’s time to seek help. And that help often is found in sources of magic or in the stars, according to the standard format of these animations.

Such is the case in Disney’s most recent animated film, “Wish.” A fictional country called Rosas was established as a place where wishes came true, but not everyone's.

Enter the heroine Asha who goes over the head of the villainous wish-holding king and prays to the stars. Her theme song/prayer is one you could resonate with: “and so I make this wish to have something more for us than this!” She wishes for a better and more meaningful life for her world and the people in it.

Amen! Don’t we all wish for this? Asha has a point. Her only problem is where she goes with it. The stars? Which ones? The latest count of stars in our universe is around 400 sextillions! And scripture notes that God “calls them all by name” (Psalm 147:4). But they have no personality, no consciousness with which to respond. They are balls of ignited gasses, after all.

What about birthday cake wishes? “Make a wish before you blow out the candles.” It may well have ancient Greek origins with the round cake symbolizing the moon goddess, candles representing moonlight and smoke representing the prayers of the wishes ascending to the heavens. I also don’t remember hearing any Christianized story for birthday wishes.

The word “wish” shows up 47 times in the New King James Bible. Nowhere does it hint that wishing upon a star was a good idea, but there is one place where “wishing” and a “star” do make a story and it’s a Christmas story.

The magi from the east came seeking a wish coming true: they wanted to see Jesus and a star actually guided them to him. Theirs was a theology that thought heaven communicated with people on earth via stars. Because they had a pure wish to see Jesus, God drew them to His Son with a star’s help. Yes, it was an angelic choir as we find out later in the story, but these people wanted to see the Christ child.

That brings me to the best wish ever recorded in scripture: “Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus’” (John 12:20–21).

That’s my wish, especially at this time of year. All of these Gentiles were granted their wish. I want mine granted, too! Jesus is the true “Wish-Granter.” For in Him alone do we find the meaning of life and the opportunities for real personal growth, not with fame in mind for high achievement, but rather with the promise of overcoming all that limits us in this life drama.

“When you wish upon a star” you might as well be talking to yourself. Try instead to direct your wishes to the one who made the stars. You might be surprised to hear Him say: “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Matt. 20:32). I personally have several requests.

Our church in Oak Harbor, Washington, rented a space along with other vendors and organizations to have a community events exhibit booth. We gave out a wide variety of books and magazines, as well as free water to anyone interested. Many people came by our booth and we had many good conversations as they took whatever literature appealed to them.

Julie was among those who stopped by our booth. She was very excited to see us and as she introduced herself, she told us that she had been an Adventist in the past.

Nina, one of our members manning the booth, gave Julie some literature and prayed with her. The weekend passed, life went on and we forgot about the many people we had met.

Almost six months later, Julie walked into our church. Very quickly, she let us know she was there to stay, and she wanted to be a part of our church family. Julie joined one of our Sabbath School classes as well as two of the many small group studies that we have available each week.

Julie was fitting into the church family as if she had been with us all along. When we began making plans for our 2023 fall series of evangelism meetings, Julie volunteered to be involved in any way she could be used.

We wanted to make the presentations available in Spanish to our growing Latino population. Julie informed us she had experience as a Spanish translator. When the meetings began, she translated for most of our 22 meetings. There were more than 20 Spanish-speaking friends who used the translating equipment on various evenings. Towards the end of the series, Julie informed Nina that she would like to be baptized.

We praise the Lord that He led Julie to our church family and that she has such a motivation to serve. Please pray for Julie and the many others who chose to follow Jesus during those meetings.

My husband and I like creating goals, having checklists and planning. We’d like our kids to be able to set and keep goals as well. It’s important for personal spiritual growth.

Getting the kids involved in their own goal-setting is important. Helping them create goals that are doable, measurable and achievable now will help them in the future as well. So I want to share a few ideas that your family can use in setting goals for the kids. Parents, let's walk beside our kids this new year and help them in their own personal and spiritual growth.

There are many goal ideas for kids. You can help tailor ones for your children that they can do, that would be meaningful in your family and that truly are achievable. Keep it simple and start small. Let them lead on what they’d like to focus on.

Four Types of Faith-Based Goals

1. Spiritual
2. Acts of Kindness
3. Developing Fruits of the Spirit
4. Practice Gratitude

Spiritual Goals

First, when I think about goals, spiritual goals are usually at the top of my own personal list. I definitely want my kids to make spiritual goals for their life. These goals can include Bible reading, scripture memorization, prayer, involvement in church and more.

Setting goals to help grow our spiritual life is a great idea for every member of the family. Yes, kids can participate and do this too. Maybe kids want to listen to one chapter of the Bible every day. They might even want to memorize a Bible verse weekly.

Keeping a prayer journal is another great idea that might help them keep a prayer goal. Get creative, let your kids lead in their own goal setting, and cheer them on and encourage them on their journey.

Acts of Kindness

Prov. 11:17 tells us, “Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.”

Setting goals for kindness helps us all, don’t you think? I truly want my kids to develop a kind and loving character towards others. Helping them set goals for kindness not only benefits others but truly helps them.

Examples of kindness goals could be including others at school during lunch recess, helping siblings with homework every Thursday evening, bringing church bulletins to sick/elderly on Sabbath afternoon, making cards for missing church members once a month, feeding the homeless one night a month, collecting canned food at the holidays and so much more.

Ask your children what they like to do best. Their goals need to be their own. Remember to help them create goals that are meaningful, doable, measurable and achievable.

Developing Fruits of the Spirit

Gal. 5:22–23 tells us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

We’ve featured kindness in its own category but could there be other goals that kids can have that relate to the other fruits? Patience and self-control are both fruits that my entire family can grow in.

If your kids want to make a goal of being more patient or practicing self-control, then really be intentional about noticing when they do this. Praise them, direct them, provide feedback and then praise them more.

Practicing Gratitude

1 Thess. 5:18 tells us, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

This goal is important for the whole family. Get your kids involved. Practicing gratitude helps us to keep our focus on the positive things that God has blessed us with. It helps us remember how much God truly loves us.

The impact on mental health, of practicing gratitude daily, is so great. Kids can set their own gratitude goals pretty easily, and this goal is very doable. We all need to be practicing gratitude, don’t we?

Setting goals is good for us all. Model this to your children. Share with them your own goals. Don’t pick so many goals that they become undoable. Start small, keep it simple. Track your progress and think of meaningful rewards for the kids when they meet their goals.

It’s okay to adjust the goals if they are not working. Pray together as a family, asking God to help you with these new goals. What goals will you and the kids be setting this year?

We’d love to hear about them at Northwest Adventists. We also would love to cheer you on. Connect with us by emailing talk@nwadventist.com.

Parenthood can be overwhelming.

For instance, today I'm in a small hotel trying to keep it organized and help my sixth-grader keep up with school work. I am feeling overwhelmed. I have stopped three times in 45 minutes to pray for patience, kindness, gentleness and love. But, I am slowly losing it, friends.

So, I decided to look up verses today that can help. When I turn to God’s word, I can be filled with hope and help. The God of the universe cares for me. He loves me, and He really loves the children He’s entrusted to me.

There are many definitions for overwhelm. It can mean bury, defeat completely or overpower. Oftentimes I can feel all of these things in day-to-day mothering. I must stay attached to Jesus throughout the day, commit to spending time with Him each day in His word and in prayer, and know when to ask for forgiveness when I mess up.

When I know my triggers — the things that get me to the point of feeling overwhelmed more quickly — I can mentally prepare for and better withstand those feelings. Often, a deep breath, a moment away from the situation or a quick prayer can help.

There are times though when I need to ask my husband to step into a situation and help diffuse it, sometimes divert it or just calmly sit through it. I'm thankful I have a supportive husband and supportive parents in my life. We need other people to help — it truly does take a village.

You might be feeling similar to me some days; I want to give you a bit of hope too. Here are Bible verses to pray over, meditate on and commit to memory. Find hope in God’s Word, friends.

We can find refuge in God:

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging" (Psalm 46:1–3).

We can find our strength in God:

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isa. 41:10).

We can find rest and peace in God:

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30).

God empowers us to do hard things:

"I can do all this through Him who gives me strength" (Phil. 4:13).

We must surrender to God daily:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Prov. 3:5–6).

There is hope for moms and dads. We just need to be intentional in our parenting. We need to be in God’s word, praying daily and practicing healthy ways to deal with stressful situations. When overwhelming moments get to you on your journey, remember to find courage, hope and refuge in God’s Word.

“Our success will be in proportion to their belief in our belief in, and appreciation of, them.”¹

If our primary objective is to make other Adventist believers, we will spend all of our energy making people conform to our theological opinions. However, if we believe that every human we encounter is worthy of receiving the love of God, those we come in contact with will feel understood and appreciated.

This is why the love of God is where I start and end every theological conversation. It is the most important belief and there are all sorts of implications from this. I will name five.

1. God believes in us, regardless of what we think of Him.

God gave up everything before we did anything (Rom. 5:8). To God, we are worth it. God’s love remains constant, even if we do not change or love Him back.

2. As disciples, God wants us to treat other people the way He treats us.

That means we should believe in others. We shouldn't just look at people as they currently are; we should seek to see them as God sees them.

The way the world knows we are Christ’s disciples is by the authenticity of our love, and love believes all things and hopes all things (1 Cor. 13).

It’s possible that acts of love can be taken for granted. There may be a fear that those who are too loving may be exploited. Yet, perfect love drives out those fears. Belief that is grounded in love is transformative. It's the choice to believe in love, regardless of how others respond. It is our modus operandi as followers of Christ.

3. The Great Commission was a great conspiracy.

Jesus gave the mission to people who did not believe. Read Mark 16:9–18. It's repeated four times that they — the disciples of Jesus — did not believe.

Jesus gives the Great Commission to the very people who do not believe. He believed in the people who didn't believe, and He told them to go and make disciples. Belief begets belief. The faith of Jesus created faith in the disciples — they acted on His faith, followed in His footsteps and then they transformed the world.

4. The most famous text in the Bible is about belief.

“For God so loved the world ... that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The belief that matters most is the belief that God is good. The belief that He wants the best for us and loves us as we are. When we believe God believes in us, we can tap into His faith and it is His faith in us that is transformative.

Brennan Manning, pastor and author, encapsulates this idea as highlighted and reshared by blogger Theresa Haskins, when he said, “On judgment day I believe the Lord Jesus Christ will ask us one question and one question only: Did you believe that I love you?”²

5. In the Adventist Church, only 4.55% of all members in Canada and America are under the age of 25.³

A primary reason young people leave the church is lack of faith. I am not talking about their own lack of faith.

I am talking about the lack of faith of the older generation to believe in them. It doesn't matter if they don't deserve it.

To keep young people in the church, we have to believe in them. We have to invest in them. We have to accept them as they are. We have to believe in the power of love to transform them into what God would have them be, not what we think they should be. We have to believe in the power of love to collectively transform us and the church.

Sometimes we think of the world as bad and those who are in the church as good, but what if God is not using the church to change the world but is rather using those in the world as an opportunity to transform the church?

We expect hypocrisy and division in the world, but what if the church made it a goal to transcend polarization? What if we have an opportunity to connect with people in the world rather than just correct them?

What if we commit to looking for the good in our neighbors and loving them as we love ourselves? What if we demonstrate authentic love and risk believing it exists in those we are trying to reach? Is it possible that our success will be in proportion to their belief in our belief in, and appreciation of, them?

Our beliefs shape our priorities, and then our priorities shape us. All the law and prophets can be distilled into two essential beliefs: love God and love others. Everything else is a distraction if it does not lead to a belief that God is love and that we are called to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. And if we don’t love ourselves, it may be best if we leave our neighbors alone.

Sources:

1. Ellen G. White, Fundamentals of Christian Education (Review and Herald Pub Assoc, 1977), 281.
2. Theresa Haskins, “Ragamuffin – The True Story of Rich Mullins,” Theresa Haskins Sharing Life, September 24, 2014, https://theresahaskinssharinglife.wordpress.com/2014/09/24/ragamuffin-t….
3. “Endangered Adventism? | Adventist Review,” Adventist Review, January 7, 2022, https://adventistreview.org/endangered-adventism/.

The Pew Research people have conveniently gathered on their website a list of official positions of major religions and denominations regarding their beliefs on origins. Specifically, it lists if they believe in short-age creation or long-age evolution as God’s way of making things. Their website on this is here.

What does this compilation show? The Roman Catholic Church “generally accepts evolutionary theory as the scientific explanation for the development of all life.”

Popes Pius XII and Benedict XVJJ have stated this. The only proviso is that God is still credited with the supernatural creation of man’s soul. This is the “in the image of God” part of their view. I have wondered what this does to their older views on Original Sin. Does this mean at a time in the past, God created a soul and put it in some kind of proto-human, who eventually sinned and became the source of original sin? Was that Adam? The evolution viewpoint makes it hard to explain the origin of sin.

The following churches have stated that evolutionary views on origins do not conflict with either their theology or their doctrines: the Episcopal Church (much affected by Darwin), the Presbyterian Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the United Church of Christ, the United Methodists and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These are the largest churches in the world. Hinduism generally finds it compatible with their beliefs, too. So do many Jews, save their most conservative associations.

And what groups still believe in a literal, recent creation? The Missouri Synod Lutherans, Southern Baptists and conservative Muslims do. Seventh-day Adventists can be added to the group, but oddly were left out of Pew’s study.

It is sad to see such a large majority of Christians with a low view of scripture. Such a view of the Bible naturally includes a low view of God, the worst consequence of any questionable doctrine. Such a view imagines God to be both not caring enough to successfully communicate accurately how He made us and/or incapable of preserving a reliable record of that origin. When you open up the possibility that His Word isn’t historical, you automatically make man’s intellect superior to it.

This isn’t how Jesus viewed scripture. Quoting Moses, Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4). After this, He again quoted Moses in defeating Satan’s temptations. He apparently thought that the books of Moses, and that includes Genesis, were God’s words and not man’s.

This common low understanding of scripture leads me to view the prophecies of Daniel that foretells religious trends in the last days. In particular, I’m looking at Dan. 7:25, which speaks of the little horn power. “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law.”

Adventists have tended to interpret “times and law” as the only law with a time element in it — the Sabbath. But where that is certainly correct, might it also reference another related subject to origins … the age of life on earth? Does this little horn power challenge the literal understanding of the creation story of Genesis and promote others to share their views?

How much more significant, then, is our call to share the First Angel’s Message of Rev. 14:6–7: “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth … saying with a LOUD voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’”

The theology of creation, that we were made in the image of God and thus have a special purpose and place in God’s universe, is indeed good news. This is news that will help bring light to this dark world. Let’s just make sure our voice is clear and loud!

Caiden and Kasey walked into the Wenatchee River on Sept. 17, 2023 with Troy Fitzgerald, Walla Walla University Church associate pastor. They have been married for about a year, and throughout the year their love for each other and God has grown.

Kasey works full-time in marketing and communications. Caiden is studying at Wenatchee Valley Community College to become a nurse and he works in health services. As Caiden enters into the nursing program, he is dedicated to using his gifts and influence to be “a cup of cool water” for those he is in contact with. His love for people is unmistakable. Both Kasey and Caiden are eager to foster their marriage with Christ first.

Ethan is in junior high at Cascade Christian Academy and made his decision to be baptized this year. Surrounded by family and friends in the community of faith, Ethan enrolled in service as a disciple of Jesus. Ethan has a sharp mind and a big heart, and it is evident that God has called him to a life of service and leadership.

Ethan and his spiritual mentor are working on the key checkpoints of the discipleship journey, and part of the effort is to consider his spiritual gifts. Leadership and prophecy are the prominent gifts he is exploring. Influence is the way you influence others, and the gift of prophecy is not foretelling the future, but speaking out on the most pivotal concerns in life.

The words offered in 1 Timothy are becoming true in Ethan’s life: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example, for the believers, in speech, life, love, faith and purity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

Ontario Adventist Church has a large heart for evangelism. When they were notified that It Is Written would be providing an evangelist at no cost for an evangelistic series, they were all in.

The church board, without hesitation, unanimously voted to invite Douglas Na'a to speak. As the meeting kick-off drew closer and conversations were had with Na'a, it was evident the church was on the same page in a collective evangelistic approach.

When the first night came, there was tremendous local and district church support. The church averaged eight consistent visitors — non-Adventists — per night and 38 district member attendants. Considering the average Sabbath attendance in Ontario is 30–35, this was an astounding development.

This continued throughout the series and resulted in three new member baptisms and four strong follow-up opportunities. Each night, the messages were of such a nature that they resonated with all in attendance, and as a result, there is a clear desire to schedule Na'a again in Ontario.

In addition, current members were so moved by his simple, straightforward, gospel-centered presentations that they commented on how they were brought closer to the Lord than they had been previously. They could feel the Holy Spirit's presence present each night. The three new members still regularly attend, participate and are growing in Christ.

God works in mighty ways when a church creates a culture of evangelism and is personally committed to discipling guests and new members. This was clearly evident in the Ontario/Vale district membership, and they are more committed than ever to public evangelism. Evangelism is not just a culture now, it is a way of church life.

The doorbell kept ringing at my hosts’ house as a dozen guests arrived.

In my recent visit to New England for a convention, I arranged to visit my family of faith who had supported me in my formative high school years.

The gathered guests were a sampling of the people who readily accepted me when my family moved across the country. They had prayed for me through our epic transition, our family’s housing dramas and the loss of my first grandparent. They had involved me in church life and celebrated two academic milestones.

Coming around a table was and still is a common activity. This is where we conversed, dined, laughed, prayed and shared from our hearts. This became a foundation from which we healed from some spiritual wounds and found renewed purpose to be friends helping friends become fully devoted followers of Jesus.

Our recent evening carried many stories of love found, lost and multiplied; of growing families and processing changing family dynamics; of health challenges and victories; of ministries growing, changing and renewing; of belonging together as a family of faith through good and hard times.

The theme of belonging brought a stream of reflective thoughts as I traveled back home to the Pacific Northwest. What does it mean to belong? What are the core characteristics of belonging and inviting people to belong as well?

A sense of belonging, feeling connected and united with a common purpose, is a basic and significant human need.

It's the feeling of being an integral part of a group, place or belief system. It's about feeling at home within your faith, knowing that you are loved and accepted by God, and finding a spiritual family in your fellow Christians. It's the assurance that you are a valued member of the family of God.

Mark 9 recounts telling sequence of interactions about belonging. Jesus asks His disciples why they were disputing among each other while they walked. They were debating who was the greatest among them. Jesus invites a child over to Him and begins His teaching moment about being a servant of all, caring for His children, sharing acts of kindness and extending invitations to belong.

Jesus doesn’t stop there. He goes on to forbid sectarianism, the excessive attachment to people just like you, and the prejudice, discrimination, exclusion or hatred can arise in related conflicts. Jesus goes on to promise that whoever does a good deed in His name will receive a reward.

We can contribute to creating a more connected world by emulating the spirit of acceptance and unity I found around the tables of my youth. We must be willing to receive others with open hearts, eliminate prejudice and exclusion and actively engage in acts of kindness and service, just as Jesus taught.

Table Talk Prompt

What can you do to help foster a lifelong sense of belonging for all generations at your church home?

Pain and suffering are experiences that everyone on earth has in common. No one is immune to them.

The attacks in Ukraine and Israel are causing incredible amounts of suffering and death. Our hearts should be moved to do something. We can support humanitarian relief. We can encourage diplomacy between the nations to help bring an end to the wars.

We can also pray for God’s intervention. We are especially calling our North Pacific Union constituency to 10 days of prayer from Jan. 10–20, 2024.

The Bible tells the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5. Naaman was a wealthy and powerful general of the Syrian army. He was dying slowly of leprosy and had no hope of healing.

His wife’s servant girl was a captive from Israel. She told Naaman’s wife about a prophet of the God of Israel who could cure him if he asked.

She shared the good news with her husband. Hope sprang up anew in Naaman’s heart. He requested the King of Syria to let him go to Israel for a cure. The king granted his request.

Naaman quickly left with a letter from his king. He also took along his servants, silver, gold and clothing to pay for the cure. The King of Israel, upon reading the threatening letter from the King of Syria, was amazed and angry that he was demanding Naaman be cured of leprosy.

The King of Israel admitted he possessed no cure for leprosy. In other words, “Don’t look to me for something only God can do!”

We need to get this message. When we confront suffering and pain, we think the solution is government policy, diplomacy, science, psychology or technology, but the world’s darkness is too deep.

By ourselves, we cannot defeat the powers of darkness that cover the earth. More knowledge or artificial intelligence advances will not bring enough light.

Rarely do we admit how dark the world is until we experience events like 9/11, the war in Ukraine that is killing thousands of people, the attack on Israel by Hamas and resulting battles in the West Bank.

These are all wake-up calls. Yes, we need to do what is humanly possible to relieve the suffering and death we see all around us.

Yet it’s important to realize that such measures will never be enough. The powers of darkness in this world are strong. Evil resides deep in the hearts of humanity and cannot be controlled or eliminated by humanity. It takes more than human resources to destroy all pain, suffering and death.

Naaman eventually found the prophet of God. Elisha sent him on a journey. In that journey, Naaman discovered that wealth, influence or power couldn't deliver him. Instead of trusting in his own or other’s ability, Naaman learned humility and how to listen to the voice of God.

Turning toward God, Naaman was cured of leprosy and received a new relationship with the living God. Grace, joy and hope filled his heart. Suffering led to his salvation.

One of the main teachings of the Bible is that almost no one finds God or grows in His grace without suffering. Painful experiences are wake-up calls, revealing things about life and our own hearts. Even Jesus learned from suffering. Jesus calls His followers to trust Him, listen to His voice and with humble hearts face suffering with patience and courage.

The administrative leadership of NPUC is calling our constituency to 10 days of prayer and fasting. We're also inviting you to a Northwest prayer broadcast on Jan. 20 at 4 p.m. (PST). Find more details about how you and your church can be involved at npuc.org. 

Recognizing the forces of darkness are covering the world in deep darkness, we know the only power to bring light and healing is God.

God will work on our behalf in answer to prayer. There is power in prayer. We need all generations in our churches to come together in prayer.

Ask our heavenly Father to bring an end to these wars that are destroying so many innocent lives.

Pray for our own government and the preservation of our democracy.

Pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. God is able to do more than we can ask or imagine.

"Lord, please bring us 20 decisions in the upcoming series," I prayed. Was I being presumptuous? Was I asking for too much? Was it possible? I know God can do it, but would He?

We began gearing up for another conference-wide evangelism series. It Is Written was going to join us for this series and we were excited. I grew more excited the day I was asked if Nampa Church would host the series. I was thrilled. We have experienced success streaming in the past, but to host the series live was an unexpected blessing!

As we came closer to opening night, our prayers became more intense. "Lord, help the flyers to get into the hands of those who need to be at the meetings and help the church to be filled for both sessions," I prayed. The registrations began to pile up.

Every day, dozens of registrations came in. I began to worry if two nightly sessions would be enough. Could we hold all the people the Lord was going to bring to us? I knew He would provide.

Opening night came, and people showed up 45 minutes early. The stream of people continued into the first meeting. Once the sanctuary was filled, we began to send people to the overflow room. After the first meeting, the fellowship hall buzzed with those sharing a wonderful meal. Then the second meeting began to fill.

Again, we had to use the overflow space. Just as I had prayed for, we had a full house for both sessions opening night. More than 350 people attended the first session. God answered our prayers, and I was nearly in tears. God is so good, so faithful and desires even more than we ask for.

At the conclusion of the meetings, I'm still amazed at what God has done. We are expecting more than 20 baptisms in the next three weeks. God has done all that we asked for and more. For everyone who has chosen to be baptized, seeds have been planted in 10 other lives.

What will the end result be? Only time will tell. God has done amazing things and we are so blessed.

The journey of pastoral ministry is multifaceted. We are called to provide and produce spirituality in our congregations. As we gain experience in our calling, we lean more on our experience, which is undeniably valuable. However, over-relying on our experience can diminish the potential that God wants to do in us and cloud our vision. We often ignore staying relevant because we trust in our experience.  

Paul wrote, “I have become all things to all people, so that I may be every possible means, save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). This text reminds us of the need to adapt without compromising our message. Paul had an effective ministry because he was relevant to different groups. 

Research tells us that our productivity decreases with age, but not necessarily due to diminished creativity or cognitive decline^[1].

Instead, it is because we are less likely to explore new ideas and take risks. Often, composers write their best scores before 50, scientists write their breakthrough papers in their 30s, and designers and painters produce their most treasured works in their 20s. In our technological world, many innovative companies are founded by entrepreneurs under 30^[2].  

The life of King Solomon offers us a parallel. In his youth, Solomon pursued wisdom and built the temple. But in his later years, distracted by wealth, foreign alliances and personal commitments, his heart was led astray, forgetting the zeal and focus of his youth (1 Kings 11:4). 

As pastors, likewise, we mustn’t become complacent in the accumulated wisdom gained from our past victories and experiences. It’s tempting to think becoming a seasoned pastor gives us sufficient answers. Yet, inadvertently, we may neglect fresh opportunities God gives us for innovative approaches to the ministry He has called us to. 

As we age, we acquire more responsibilities through marriage, children and providing stability for the family; we become more averse to risk-taking. Yet, God can help us match the productivity of our earlier years in our later ones. We can continue to be influential leaders of our churches and communities through discipline, collaboration and remaining open to new opportunities, challenges and technological advancements. 

Caleb wanted to take the promised land when he was 45; it was a big risk. Yet Israel’s lack of belief did not allow him the opportunity.

Forty years later, at 85, Caleb doesn’t let time deter him; his years of experience have enriched his boldness. He didn’t rest on his past victories; he continued to eye new horizons in faithfulness to God. 

Pastor, remind yourself of the importance of continually growing and adapting. Our experiences are invaluable but cannot overshadow the importance of staying current. The willingness to act will be the different-maker; the choice is yours. 

^[1] Bonsang, E. D. M., & Dohmen, T. J. (2012). Cognitive ageing and risk attitude. Netspar.
Netspar Discussion Paper No. DP 01/2012-004 https://doi.org/10.2139/SSRN.2013220 

^[2] The challenge for aging leaders and thinkers. Admired Leadership. (2023, September 21). https://admiredleadership.com/field-notes/the-challenge-for-aging-leaders-and-thinkers/  

With the recent popularity of books about habits, I wanted to share reasons and ways to create healthy habits in the home. God created marriage and family; it was part of His perfect plan.

When we strive to create a healthy home life for our family, I believe we are doing God’s will. A healthy home life just doesn’t happen by accident — we must cultivate healthy habits that can have lasting change.

God is First

For a healthy home, I believe God must be put first in our homes. He is our creator, savior and best friend. He wants us to succeed, thrive and live healthy lives for His glory and for our benefit too. How do we put Him first in our life? Pray, read our Bible, play Christian music, read Christian books and do these things together as a family. Let your kids see you putting God first.

Prov. 3:6 tells us, “In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success.”

Of course, as Christians, we all know the importance of putting God first. But, are we practicing it? Let’s be intentional each day of putting Him first — truly first. That’s how habits are made.

Maybe try a new habit to help you with this. I enjoy using the Bible app and doing Bible studies with friends. I also enjoy Bible journaling. Both of these habits help me keep God in the forefront of my life personally.

Create a Healthy Emotional Environment

Make a habit of being available to your family. I know that life can get busy. It’s overwhelming at times, but creating a healthy, emotional environment takes work — and this is the most important work you can do. Help your family feel safe to talk with you about anything.

Authentic communication is key. Do you feel safe talking about anything with your partner? Are you a safe person who listens without judgment and offers love? When we feel safe in our home, we can thrive.

Be quick to offer forgiveness. (This does not apply to abuse. If there is abuse in the home, please seek help immediately.) Col. 3:13 tells us, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Forgiveness and reconciliation are difficult. In fact, I won’t lie, there are times I don’t want to make amends and offer or ask for forgiveness. But, with God’s help, we can create new habits of asking for and offering forgiveness readily in the home.

Manage stress in healthy ways. Practical ways to help could include prayer, meditation on His word, asking for help and practicing self-care — for me, that’s a long bath.

In my home, you’d see me take breaks and breathe deeply or even ask God out loud to help me. If you are having a continued difficult time at home with stress, anxiety or depression, get help. It’s okay to get medical help.

Creating boundaries in the home will help us all outside the home. Boundaries on behaviors, finances, emotions, verbal interactions, personal space and our bodies are all very important for creating a healthy home.

Make a habit of communicating your boundaries. For example, you’ll often hear me tell my kids, “We don’t use those words in our home. I can’t let you say that.” Or, “We don’t force people to do ____; they are allowed to say no.” I want my kids to have healthy boundaries and be able to communicate those boundaries.

Don’t Neglect Physical Health

How are your eating habits? Are you getting exercise? Are you sleeping enough? Physical health affects brain health, which affects our relationships. It’s all tied together.

Creating healthy habits includes healthy eating, sleep and exercise as well as emotional and spiritual habits. Working full time, being involved in a Christian school and a busy Pathfinder club, I tend to put exercise at the bottom of the list. I should not do this. This is one area of my life that I need to improve — pray for me?

Use a Habit Tracker

Habit trackers are very popular right now. You can use a physical or digital version. I currently use a digital tracker. I am tracking sleep, Bible reading and physical activity right now. But, I occasionally add things like taking breaks, breathing and water intake. Find a habit tracker, or create one with a paper and a pen. Be intentional about new habits.

Small habits done daily will compound into larger habits. Do these personally and together as a family. Pick just one good habit and start small today. 

Remember, Jer. 29:11 tells us, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" God wants us to prosper. Start creating habits together as a family to help.

I have the privilege of being a pastor in Seattle, Washington. Like most places, Seattle comes with good and bad. There is the beautiful skyline with the iconic Space Needle and the majestic Mount Rainier towering as an omnipresent backdrop.

There are three pristine National Parks within a day’s reach. Ferries connect to wonderful coastal escapes, and in the summertime it’s possible to go months without rain. And yet Seattle doesn’t have the nickname “Rain City” for nothing.

When my family got the opportunity to come to Seattle, it wasn’t just the rain that people warned us about. It was the city itself.

The ubiquitous traffic, the growing challenges of homelessness, the pace of life and the fear about safety. For some, it was hard to understand why we would choose to live in a city. After all, isn’t it written somewhere that in the time of the end we should move to the country?  

Before the move, we heard some comments about Seattle like, “Why would anyone want to live there?” “Good luck!” and, “Stay safe!”

Yet, I have found the city to be full of wonderful people.  

One of my favorite activities here is walking around the lake by Green Lake Church in North Seattle. In a short three-mile loop, I get a window into an eclectic range of human experience — people from all cultures and backgrounds, the wealthy and the poor, the young and the old, the joyful and the depressed. 

As I walk around the lake, I observe birthday celebrations, couples holding hands and people flying by on Rollerblades and bikes. Each person has a story and I breathe it all in. In my passing contemplation, I often pray for these strangers as we briefly cross paths.

The loop is a blur of activity, but it is also full of soul-satisfying pockets of solitude. Hammocks hang between trees. Boats dot the lake. This is an oasis in the city and it’s not the only one.

Miles of trails link to parks across the Emerald City. Bookstores and coffee shops offer opportunities for connection and escape. My favorite oasis in Seattle is the place my family gets to call home. 

Before receiving the call to Green Lake Church, our greatest concern was where we would live. We wondered how we could afford to live in Seattle and if our kids would be safe. God supplied all our needs.

It turned out that Green Lake Church was thinking about these challenges and invested in a housing ministry. Our home was provided by long-time members of Green Lake Church — the Jensens — and became our parsonage and a medical ministry suite.

The home has a large backyard, fruit trees and a garden all fenced in. It is a perfect oasis in the city, not only for our family but for the numerous families that have stayed here amid personal health challenges.

Green Lake Church has been expanding this medical ministry to include additional suites. From 2017 until the present time, we've had more than 2,000 nights of occupancy in the church's various homes. Hotels in Seattle can average more than $160–200 a night, so each year this ministry represents savings of hundreds of thousands.

Places of refuge are worth investing in. All of us experience the joys and hardships of life and need places to rest and recharge.

I believe this is why a theme for Jesus throughout his ministry was rejuvenation. Sabbath rest isn’t just about getting more sleep; it’s about recharging the soul. Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weak and heavy laden, and you will find rest for your souls.” 

I am thankful for the opportunity to be part of the ministry in Seattle. Not everyone is called to, “flee the city.” There are good people here.

Sometimes medical emergencies offer no other choice. This ministry provides an oasis in the midst of medical storms, and it is a testimony of meeting a practical need in a time of vulnerability. I have had atheist and agnostic friends reach out and offer thanks that our church offers something like this.

If you would like to read more about the impact of the Green Lake housing ministry, read the longer article here. May you be inspired to be a place of refuge for your community, to be an oasis of hope and wholeness.

Our family dining room table was the biggest personal sentimental loss from the Paradise, California, fires in November 2018.

Now, there was nothing particularly remarkable about my family's table. It was a long, narrow, laminated particle board table. My parents had purchased this table set soon after they finished seminary. It was the best they could afford at the time and ended up seeing them through nearly 40 years of pastoral ministry and hospitality.

The memories around this table are what make it special. It was a place of practicality, togetherness and hospitality. It was the site of science experiments, diorama art projects, Pathfinder honors, Bible studies and homeschool assignments. Our lives centered around this table where we hosted family, friends and strangers for a meal and long, faith-filled conversations.

Tables come in all shapes, sizes and functions. Tables can be commonplace or memorable, personal or corporate, literal or metaphorical.

In the Bible, scholars note how tables are a place where God is present. Tables are intended to be places for harmony, love, goodwill, provision and reconciliation — a universal symbol of togetherness and community.

God started out by setting a table for us in the Garden of Eden. Even after Adam and Eve’s fateful decision, God kept setting tables as places to gather, to dwell and to be present with Him. There’s plenty to feast on here with a topical study of tables, hunger, bread and more. Get started with Isa. 55, Psalm 23:5, Matt. 26:17–30 and Matt. 14:13–21.

Not only does God set tables, He also overturns tables to change our thinking, perspectives or practices to better align with His kingdom — see Matt. 21:12–17 and Mark 11:15–19.

Ultimately, God is preparing a table for us to sit at eternally as His heirs. We see the Lord’s Supper as a symbol of the eternal marriage supper where God’s family will fellowship forever — see Rev. 19:1–10.

While we wait for this heavenly table, we can nurture qualities to help us be better table mates. The ability to listen respectfully, interact with generations young and old, seek understanding, embrace diversity of thought and disagree with grace can foster more meaningful conversations.

With Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year coming, we will likely have opportunities to set or join a table. These moments provide a chance to engage in conversations that bridge generational gaps, fostering spiritual growth and development.

Through our continuing Table Talk interactions, let's aim to invite just one more person to God's table as we feast on His Word and eagerly await the return of Jesus.

Friday morning is a high point in our household. A special event takes place in the morning hours that my little son looks forward to with much anticipation: The garbage truck comes to pick up the trash.

Though he can’t talk yet, he smiles and enthusiastically blows kisses towards any trash can that he sees knowing they lead to the garbage truck. When he hears the rumble of the truck, he runs and climbs on the back of the couch, smiling, screaming and pointing as the truck rumbles up to the curb to grab the garbage cans.

Trash doesn't excite me in any way. In fact, the garbage can in our home has become even more foul having a child in diapers. I want the trash as far away from me as possible, and I am glad that the garbage truck comes to take the trash away.

This is not the reaction my little son has. He sees the trash cans and is excited; he sees the garbage truck and is filled with exuberant joy. He can’t contain his excitement at the sight of any garbage can or truck.

This joy over trash has led me to understand in a small part how Jesus feels about us. We as sinful people are dirty, filthy, stinky in our mess. We have no real appeal; rather we are smelly and as gross as trash.

Left in our sin, we become dirtier and dirtier, and we can become so used to being sinful that we don’t even smell the stink anymore. This could be a very depressing reality to be left in. However, Jesus provides promises that He loves us even in our mess.

Rom. 5:8 says, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus didn't give His life for a bunch of perfect people. Jesus didn't say we can only be saved if we show up perfect and mess-free before Him. Rather He loves us and died for us while we were still sinners.

1 John 4:9 says, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.” It’s because of God’s great love for us that we can live and have a chance at being clean and new in Him. This isn’t something we can do for ourselves. It only comes through a relationship with the Life-Giver, the Maker of All Things.

The unbelievable thing is that Jesus, the creator of the world, looks forward to His time with us just like my little son looks forward to the garbage truck. Jesus is filled with exuberant joy when He thinks of us. He smiles; He jumps for joy when He sees us.

He sees our mess — our garbage — and it doesn't repulse Him, rather it draws Him ever closer to us. He desires to be with us, to clean us and restore us. He doesn't sit there and smell the stink, rather when He looks at us, He sees something of great value.

What the world sees as trash, Jesus sees as great treasure.

Jesus sees what the world would throw away as of great value. We are more valuable to Him than even His own life.

Each Friday morning, I am reminded just how much Jesus loves each one of us. I am reminded that Jesus looks forward to any amount of time we spend with Him.

He is waiting for us to come to Him. He is longing for us to come to Him for companionship and restoration. He is excited to take our trash and turn it to great treasure.

I pray that when you see a trash can or the garbage truck you will be reminded just how much Jesus loves you, and that He is excited to spend time with you!

My father, who recently passed away, was a dedicated patriot who served our country during the Korean War. He valued family, education and, later in life, his faith in Jesus Christ.

His life as a husband, father of three boys and high school teacher was defined by his commitment to various causes. When he became a Seventh-day Adventist, he was willing to sacrifice for the cause of Jesus Christ — who sets us free from sin, guilt and eternal death. Dad sacrificed until the end for the greatest cause in the whole world.

What cause have you committed to in your life? Both faith and business sector researchers have studies about people who are willing to sacrifice for a greater cause or a mission. Young adults especially get excited about a cause. In fact, people of all ages get excited about a cause.

People follow vision and mission. It's not always charismatic leaders who drive these movements, but often those who stay focused on the mission's core values and objectives.

My father's love for history led me to revisit the Gettysburg Address, delivered by Abraham Lincoln on Nov. 19, 1863. In it, Lincoln invoked the word "cause" to call people to continue the unfinished work of preserving freedom and a government of, by and for the people.

Lincoln reminded those present, and in the future, the importance of dedicating themselves to continuing and finishing the cause of freedom for all people.

Similarly, the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures call us to daily dedicate ourselves to the cause of Jesus Christ — to seek to save the lost and dedicate ourselves to the mission of the Adventist Church.

What cause is driving your life? Is it the cause of position, power, money, sports, fame, etc. If so, are you willing to rededicate your life to Jesus Christ and His cause to seek and save the lost?

As Adventists, we recognize the spiritual battle known as the Great Controversy. In this world, it's not about political divides or worldly concerns.

The Apostle Paul tells us it is not what we can see that is important, but what we cannot see. What is most important is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals all truth to the believers of Jesus.

What’s most important is who Jesus is and what people understand about Jesus. Do people see Jesus in us? Do we represent Jesus in our speech, thoughts and actions? Do people know that Jesus is returning — and soon?

Consider the story of James White, who followed the Holy Spirit's guidance to share the message of Christ with those he encountered. His journey began with a single step when one day, as his conscience agitated him, he set off on a walk.

As he passed by a cottage, the Holy Spirit said, “Stop here.”

He tried to walk past, but the Holy Spirit wouldn’t let him. James tried to think of an excuse to knock. The Holy Spirit prompted him, “Why not ask for a drink of water?”

He knocked on the door and was greeted by a grieving man who had just lost his only son and questioned the existence of God.

“I cannot see past the tomb,” he sobbed. “Is there a God? I am not a Christian and my burden is more than I can bear.”

Through James's guidance, the man found faith and joy.

The next morning, when James started walking again, the same impression happened just two miles down the road. He knocked on the next door to again ask for water. To his surprise, a former student answered the door.

“Oh, Mr. White!” she exclaimed. “Are you a Christian? We have all been under conviction that Christ is coming soon.”

The girl seated James in the parlor, then hurried around the neighborhood calling friends, neighbors and fellow students. In less than 30 minutes, the house was full of people wanting to know Jesus. He left that village transformed, and more revival and reformation followed.

James went on at the ripe old age of 21 to become a traveling preacher. His life, preserved in The Autobiography of James White, is a fascinating story of leadership development in the Adventist Church. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, he passionately adopted the cause to proclaim Christ's soon return.

The work of taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ — in the context of the Three Angels’ Messages — to our families, neighbors, co-workers, friends, communities, nation and the world is not finished. There is still work to do to move the cause of Jesus forward.

This Thanksgiving and Christmas season, regardless of your age, I invite you to dedicate or rededicate your life to the cause of reaching and teaching others about our loving Savior, Jesus Christ.

As parents, we want to raise our children to know and love God, nurture their spiritual growth and teach them the values of love, forgiveness and grace. Believe me, this journey as Christian parents is not without its challenges, but amidst the ups and downs it is crucial we model God's grace to kids.

When our kids were young, my husband would give them “Christmas spankings” — ask my kids about it one day. They’ll be embarrassed but they’ll tell you. When they made a bad decision, instead of punishment, he’d give them a “Christmas spanking” which was a kiss. Then he’d tell them, "That was grace," and "Let’s try and do better next time." I know my kids will never forget the grace they got on a regular basis from Dad.

Here are three easy yet impactful ways to extend grace and demonstrate God's love to our children.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:8–9).

Extend Love in Their Imperfections

One of the most powerful ways we can show grace to our kids is by embracing their imperfections. As children grow, they make mistakes, learn through trial and error, and sometimes fall short of our expectations.

Instead of responding with harsh criticism or undue punishment, let us remember God's grace is abundant and covers all our imperfections. By offering understanding, patience and forgiveness, we create an environment where our children feel safe and loved, mirroring our God's unconditional love and forgiveness. This is the point I am working on and praying about most. I don’t want to be harsh with my kids or ever make them feel like failures.

"Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:20–21).

Encourage Honest Communication

Our kids know they can talk with us and they are both pretty open about the things they share. Our son often tells us when he got in trouble at school before we even hear from the school. Our daughter often shares her interpersonal struggles with classmates. The relationships we’ve fostered with our kids feel good. Open and honest communication is vital in nurturing a relationship built on grace.

Create a safe space where your children feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, concerns and struggles without fear of judgment or condemnation. When they confide in you, resist the urge to react hastily or dismissively. Instead, actively listen, seek to understand their perspective and respond with empathy and compassion. By doing so, we foster an environment of trust and acceptance, demonstrating God's grace and His willingness to hear our hearts without condemnation.

"For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:16–17).

Teach the Power of Apology and Forgiveness

I’ve mentioned before that I am trying to always ask my kids for forgiveness when I mess up. I literally apologize and humbly ask them to forgive me. Teaching our children the importance of apologies and forgiveness is an invaluable lesson which reflects God's grace in action.

Encourage them to also take responsibility for their actions and apologize sincerely when they have wronged someone. Let them hear you apologize to your spouse. Model what an apology looks like. We are always working on forgiveness in our home; that one is a lot harder. But just as God forgives us when we repent, we need to forgive others. By emphasizing the transformative power of grace, we cultivate a culture of reconciliation and healing in our homes.

As Christian parents, it is our responsibility to show God's love and grace to our children, and that is scary and humbling most days. By extending love in their imperfections, encouraging honest communication, and teaching the power of apology and forgiveness, we create an environment where they experience and understand the depths of God's grace more clearly.

It is my prayer that our efforts in extending grace to our children reflect the overwhelming love and forgiveness God freely bestows upon us, shaping their hearts and drawing them closer to Him.

As I age further past 70, I notice some differences in my personality. Most of them bother me. Aging is not for beginners.

My memory is getting even poorer and that’s frustrating. America seems to be sinking morally and that’s frustrating. I am even getting physically uncoordinated and that’s REALLY frustrating.

Sometimes I take my frustrations out on inanimate objects. But given all of this, what does God think of my attitude? I feel like at times I’m a grumpy, old man.

However, there’s hope. I take courage in the biblical stories of two grumpy, old men: Moses and Elijah. How did God handle these two frustrated old ministers?

Let’s start with Moses. He killed a man when he was 40, so perhaps he had anger issues before turning old. At age 80 he smashed the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God at Israel’s sin with the golden calf.

I didn’t see where God told him to do that. After his venting upon the backslidden rebels, how did God handle him? He told Moses to return to the mountain for another set of commandments and for a lesson about the beauty of forgiveness and patience.

After the Lord told Moses that He was willing to keep Israel as His own people, Moses was so amazed at God’s character that he asked for a closer experience with God. His wish was granted and he was permitted to behold the un-shielded back of God.

The extended visit with Divinity transformed Moses into a literally radiant man of 80 years. He was the “meekest man on earth,” but he would still have some grump left in him when he smashed the rock with his staff at a later time. That sin cost him a ticket to the promised land. Instead, he died at age 120, probably frustrated with himself for losing patience with Israel again. Perhaps he was tempted to think his ministry was a failure. And before his passing away, he appointed Joshua as his successor.

Now let’s talk about Elijah. We don’t have his age mentioned, but he was clearly a senior near retirement. After the Lord’s victory at Mount Carmel and the slaying of 850 idolatrous priests, we are surprised at the weakness he showed at Jezebel’s threats. He runs to Mount Horeb where God had met with another old man before — Moses. How does God handle His veteran pastor?

On the way, an angel meets him and provides physical food and rest for the journey. When asked why he was running away, Elijah is vocal about his frustration: “God’s people are all dead and they are trying to kill me!” In his depressed state, he further whines, “I’m from a long line of losers. I feel like dying would be a good thing.” Once again on a mountain, the Lord instructs His grumpy prophet about patience.

God’s usual way was not in big displays of power. He worked quietly behind the scenes in still, small voices. “Oh, and your ministry was more successful than you think,” the Lord said. “Seven thousand times more! Go back and anoint Elisha to take over for you.”

What similarities do we find in the stories of these two grumpy, old men? Obviously, they were mostly frustrated with God’s people and their failings, a frustration you could imagine God sharing.

God instructed them to retrace their steps to where they were before their anger episodes, and the Lord personally instructed them to have the kind of patience that God has for His people. Yet at a time when personal failures seemed highest, God took both of them to heaven. That’s where their ministries would continue.

For me, the coolest part of this story was that at a critical time in the ministry of Jesus, God sent these two aged pastors to counsel and encourage His dear Son. Peter, James and John were witnesses of something special on the Mount of Transfiguration: “And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus” (Mark 9:2).

What does God do with grumpy, old men? He saves them! And I guess they never really retire.

(Writer’s note: Sermon idea! Especially if your church has a fair amount of seniors in it.)

My heart sank and my blood pressure went up when she shared the incident with me. The Sabbath School teacher of a primary children’s class told me of an episode that unfolded that week.

A young boy who was prone to impulsive and boisterous behavior declared loudly to a class that he desired to do something inappropriate to a girl in the class — something very inappropriate and devastating, with severe implications.

The teacher wanted this boy removed from the class indefinitely. She wanted immediate, punitive consequences. Something indeed had to happen, but due to the temperament of the family and since they were fairly new to the church, I knew that we could easily lose them if this wasn’t handled well. I prayed, “Lord, help me. I’m out of my element!”

What does a leader do when faced with a conflict of high emotions and a potential for fallout?

When the tension is palpable and the stakes are high, what is the right course of action when people are looking to you for decisive leadership? How do you win at conflict? The question is not how do you win a conflict, but how do you win at conflict? When you are in the arena, how do you deal with it?

Conflict is hard. My own natural tendency is to run from it, or give in to the loudest party. This has to do with my experience growing up — a story for another time. That day, I was faced with a choice. A choice to engage or just let it play out.

There is a time for both, but prayerfully, I engaged. Conflict is not something to be avoided, but it’s an opportunity to be embraced and navigated. It’s an opportunity for God to shine. I know now that God — by His Spirit and Word — will help us through conflict and tense situations if we are willing to surrender to His leading instead of our natural inclinations.

After we pray for wisdom and God’s leading, here are a few principles to keep in mind as one moves forward in the face of conflict.

1. Be careful not to take sides.
   Like getting a stick in the front spokes of your bicycle, taking sides will end in disaster. The Biblical principle here comes from Phil. 2:4, which says, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."
   
   Considering the standpoint and needs of all parties is key. I’m convinced that the Lord led me to walk that careful line in this situation. Keeping this principle in mind, I was able to empathize with the teacher, while guarding the boy and his family from her anger. I was able to facilitate holding the boy accountable, while respecting and caring for the family.
    
2. Listen, listen, listen!
   We have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Scripture counsels us to take our listening seriously. “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak” (James 1:19).
   
   In light of the interests of others and the principle of listening, I carefully listened to each individual person involved and validated their feelings and perspectives. In doing so, they felt that they were heard and ministered to, and that I was truly there for them.
   
   I found that listening was important because I was also able to get a full perspective, which is often eclipsed when emotions are high. I learned that through the careful questioning of the boy on part of the parents. It was very clear that he didn’t understand the verb he used in his declaration. It was a word he heard from his classmates at his school or in a movie unsuited for the child, but he honestly didn’t know what it meant.
   
   This was a huge revelation. Of course, the girl he directed it to didn’t understand it either, and fortunately her parents were patient and gracious about the situation.
   
   I also learned that the Sabbath School teacher had personal stuff going on in her life that wore her down and made her very impatient. There was a short history of tension between her and the boy’s parents. She was at her wits' end with the boy, and that led her to escalating towards a decisive action to remove him.
    
3. Think redemptively, not punitively.
   In the midst of conflict, we must remember that God is in the business of redemption. He sent His son into this world to live and die for us, to “reconcile us to Himself through Christ” (2 Cor. 5:18). God is “not willing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9).
   
   Often we think solely in terms of punishment, but we should consider what will reconcile people to God. The greatest ideal and joy is to see a heart change, rather than a swift slap on the wrist of sorts. Keeping this perspective in mind was key for the way forward.
    
4. Form a resolution that is approved by all parties.
   Our God is a God who is reasonable. “Come, let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18) He says, and we can reason our way through conflict in a redemptive manner. This is done by finding a solution that works for everyone.
   
   Prayerfully combining a redemptive approach with the need for a solution was the key for finding a way forward that glorified God and that all parties could agree upon. We developed an idea and worked through it with each party, adjusting it based on their interests and approval. Then we moved forward. Clear parameters were set for classroom behavior, with clear consequences as well.
    
5. Work through a kind process of forgiveness and reconciliation.
   In conflict, reaching a way forward is great. Yet, we must not neglect the most important component: forgiving and reconciling. As it says in Eph. 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Could all parties be gracious, kind and forgiving? I wasn’t sure. This necessitated more prayer. What became of this was one of the most powerful moments in my ministry.
   
   With the approval of the parents and the boy, we all agreed on the Sabbath School teacher facilitating forgiveness and reconciliation the following Sabbath. That day, since his statement was aloud to the whole class, they brought the boy forward in Sabbath School.
   
   While up front, the Sabbath School teacher knelt down with him and stayed at his side, supporting him as he acknowledged that though he didn’t fully understand, he knew he had said something that was hurtful and inappropriate.
   
   He apologized, said he wouldn't ever do that again and asked for the class to forgive him. The teacher then led out in having the whole class forgive him and said it out loud. Then they surrounded him, said they loved him and the teacher prayed for the whole class. This was a powerful moment.
   
   What could have been terrible, became tearful. I was blessed to see God at work. God was glorified and reconciliation happened! On top of this, there was a ripple effect. After Sabbath School was out, I caught a glimpse of the teacher and the boy’s mother crying and hugging one another in the Sabbath School hallway. More reconciliation!

Working through conflict isn't fast and easy, but it is deeply rewarding and transformative. We have to keep our own hearts in check. By prayerfully and carefully walking through a patient process that respects the needs of both parties and keeps redemption a priority, I’m confident we can handle conflict God’s way and He will bless the effort!

In the midst of it, you will be stressed, but I encourage you to lean on Jesus and be intentional. In the end, you will come to experience and understand a bit more clearly what Jesus meant when He said, "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matt. 5:9).

What do you say when you've seen the Holy Spirit do things in your church that were hopes and dreams only a few months ago? Amen, and amen! At Meridian Adventist Church, we just concluded our meetings with Eric Flickenger, It Is Written associate speaker.

What a time it has been. Leading up to our meetings, we met every Friday evening for prayer vespers to ask God to bring revival and reformation to our church, as well as to our community — and that's exactly what God did.

I don't like to use the word "revival" very often because it isn't something that I've often seen on a grander scale, but that is what happened in my congregation. Prior to these meetings, we had low team morale, a weakened focus on our purpose and a distant memory of what the fruit of evangelism tastes like.

That has all changed. The final weekend of these meetings ended with nine rebaptisms and nine baptisms, with more coming up soon. The church feels like a family, the focus is on Christ and His mission, and the people have tasted and seen that the Lord is good.

One couple who was baptized hadn't been to a church in more than 26 years. They received a flyer in the mail and never skipped a beat. The husband has already started sharing his new-found faith with his friends.

Another man was about to give up on life after the death of his wife when he found It Is Written on TV. He said John Bradshaw and his team saved his life, and he gave his life to Jesus through baptism. Another family of three came and found Jesus to be a friend to them. They were baptized all together.

Lastly, we know just how important it is to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and not to delay. One of our members who requested baptism asked if she could be baptized outside in the river, rather than in the baptistery.

Well, that last Sabbath was going to be packed, and I asked her if it would be ok if we did it the next Sabbath, which she was ok with. Not long after that conversation, I felt like I needed to make sure we baptized her on the closing Sabbath, even if that would mean being late to the evening meeting. So, we did — just my family, Flickenger and her.

It was a beautiful moment. Little did we know that in just a few days she would be in the ICU on a ventilator. A life-long medical condition flared up, which caused bleeding in her brain. Her family and I are so thankful that we didn't put off for tomorrow what we could do today.

It was a wonderful pass through the Lord's vineyard, for He truly blessed and is continuing to bless our congregation. He is sustaining His people and He has given us a new zeal for His work, and all I can say is amen and amen!

Cindy and I began our ministry in my hometown of Los Angeles, California. Specifically, I was assigned as a young post-seminary pastor to be an associate at Lynwood Church. One of its dear members owned a vacation home in Princeville on the Island of Kauai and kindly offered us its use should we want to visit Hawaii. Of course we couldn’t say no!

My dad served in the Navy in World War II, mostly stationed in Pearl Harbor. His stories made me romanticize all things Hawaiian, and now finally we had the chance to go.

We have had several opportunities to return in the years following our initial visit, learning to love those canvases of God’s beautiful creation, always finding it easy to imagine the original paradise God had intended for our homes.

Each island has something special: Lanai has pineapple. Molokai has a leper colony. Oahu has the military and cultural history. The Big Island has volcanoes. Kauai has tropical jungles — and quickly became Cindy’s favorite.

But for me: give me Maui! It had it all — a volcano, tropics at Hana and the best beaches and snorkeling you could imagine. It even had a cute little town where early Christian missionaries had preached the truth of the gospel 200 years ago: Lahaina.

You can imagine where this is going. Lahaina, the gem of Maui, is gone, the victim of a hurricane-driven firestorm that literally burned it to the ground. Gone are the monuments of those missionaries, gone is the harbor, gone is the touristy Front Street. But most important and sad is the fact that hundreds of precious souls are gone, too.

You have probably seen the pictures of devastation. The power and rapidity of the firestorm itself was tragically awe-inspiring. It brings to my mind a similar tragedy which happened to another American paradise.

Just five years ago, the Camp Fire — named after Camp Creek Road where the fire originated — burned most of Paradise, California, to the ground. Over 18,000 buildings were destroyed, along with 85 people. Many stories of survival have been told wherein last-second decisions were why some escaped with their lives and some didn’t.

Once again I mention my dad. After divorcing my mom in 1962, he remarried and moved to Paradise where he lived for most of his remaining years. So Paradise was my second home and I spent many summers there. Paradise was well-named, as the lovely homes were built in the midst of a beautiful pine forest.

Dad died four years before the Camp Fire, so he never saw its devastation, but I had the opportunity to visit Paradise soon after the fire. I was shocked! It seemed there was no part of the town that wasn’t heavily damaged. Burnt cars were there by the hundreds, as people fleeing only took one of their two. Our large church was gone. All the homes Dad had lived in over the years were gone. It looked like a war zone.

I revisited all of those mental images when I saw the photos of the August 7–8 Lahaina fire. What particularly got me was the sight of those burned-out cars on Front Street. You could see the dramatic story they told of Hawaiians trying to drive north to safety along Front Street next to the ocean, stopped by the advancing fires ahead.

What were they to do? Seconds mattered; dozens of people chose to abandon their cars and jump into the waters. They stayed in the waters while their cars burned just a few feet away. And there they watched their town, their homes, their livelihood, their schools and churches perish. In a word, they watched their world destroyed, but they themselves were safe.

In the aftermath of this tragedy many are asking why there was no warning issued. Had there been more time to escape, many more people would have lived.

It isn’t hard to see spiritual lessons here. As we continue to live on this temporary home of a planet called Earth, one destined to be destroyed by a fire that will even “burn up the elements,” decisions are being made to survive that oncoming fire. But people who don’t know about this danger won’t have time to escape.

I see my duty as one who knows the end is coming to let the people I know and love know enough to prepare for it. If they do, God promises safety: “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isa. 43:2).

If we can issue the warning with a “loud cry,” people will have time to make their decisions to leave the false security of the world and find true salvation in, what, the waters of baptism? Perhaps there is life to be found in nearby waters.

Aren’t we always searching for new and improved evangelistic methods? How can we really make a positive impact on the world around us as Adventists? How can we effectively fulfill the gospel commission in our generation?

These questions perplex us as church leaders. We plan, meet and strategize. We alternate between conflicting approaches, but Jesus gave us an example to follow that is simple and effective.

As a child, Jesus learned about God at His parent’s knees. As an adult, He modeled a sacrificial devotional and prayer life. He listened to those who sought Him, while remaining observant and attuned to His surroundings. Likewise, we must follow His example in having a personal relationship with God and a genuine heart for others. 

In the book Ministry of Healing, Ellen White shares Christ’s method of reaching people. “The Savior mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, 'Follow Me.'"

Jesus became acquainted with people, they became acquainted with Him and His loving care for them won them over.

Here we see Christ combining the gospel with practical ministry. Relational needs are the bridge to those who do not attend church, so we must stretch across the cultural and social barriers our society has raised and foster caring, authentic relationships with those we wish to reach. When we put this relational approach into practice, we will not only succeed in soul-winning but also experience the blessings of true friendship and energized spiritual growth.

As leaders, we should practice these principles and encourage our members to do so as well.  

A few years ago, a young member approached me with a passion and desire to reach his friends at the university where he was studying music. I encouraged him to connect with them and see if they were interested in spiritual things.

This young man’s common bond with other musicians provided a bridge for him to find those who were willing to study the Bible. Unsure how to lead them to Christ, he asked me to join and share God’s word with them, and three of his musician friends gave their lives to the Lord as a result of their friendship.

One is now a pastor in the Adventist Church, giving up a $40,000 saxophone scholarship to enter ministry. Another is a pastor’s wife, ministering on the very same campus where she was converted. The third was an atheist from China who has returned to her country with a completely different outlook on life and spirituality.

Each of these individuals is actively ministering in their fields, and I couldn’t have reached these young people alone. We are all still friends, encouraging each other in faith; friendship paired with the word of God is a winning combination.

The love of many is waxed cold in the world today. Jesus warned us things would get hard. More than ever, there is a great need for true friendship and care for humanity which has the power to change lives. Jesus showed us the value of mingling and meeting others’ needs; let us follow Christ’s method, engage in personal effort and bid them to follow Him.

Ezra and Tre were struggling with the idea of commitment — not because they disagreed with what they had learned during the Parma Adventist Church evangelistic series, but in fact the opposite.

Revelation 2.0 afforded the Ezra and Tre the opportunity to dig for answers to their questions. They were very excited to keep the Sabbath and Ezra has already made a stand.

"I was going to fix the water heater on Saturday afternoon," he said, "but then I realized, 'Wait, it's Sabbath!’" When he shared that with the church at the Saturday evening meeting, they all cheered him on for his commitment to "Remember."

The third visitor who came every night was Dylan, a polytheistic Norseman. He has attended every gathering Parma Church has had since the beginning of the year: The Great ReSet, Sabbath School, prayer meetings and worship. He was the church's audio-visual manager for each of the meetings this time, and took notes at most of them. Dylan loved John Bradshaw — "the Kiwi," as he called him.

Dylan had a spiritually abusive father and found pagan theology as an escape from Christianity. He has come a long way in believing there are actually good Christians, and that what they preach is reasonable and different from what he learned as a kid.

Dylan has softened remarkably over the last month of meetings, leaving his ax and pagan books at home. He even jumped into greeting one Sabbath at church. The church solicits everyone's prayers for the miracle of Dylan's conversion.

Parma Church members have also experienced a significant revival through these meetings; two of their members have requested rebaptism, and three more visitors have attended every meeting and received a certificate of completion of the studies.

Acting on its belief in traditional evangelism, in 2022, Cloverdale Adventist Church held one such event with a speaker from Washington Conference. Though the experience was positive overall, toward the end of the meetings they struggled to find volunteers to fill all the necessary positions.

This year, the church was excited to partner in evangelism with It Is Written, and wanted to find an easier way for volunteers to engage. To this end, they decided to start the meetings with an intensive week-long effort, meeting every night for nine days.

After the first week, the church transitioned to meeting as a smaller group, which will continue to meet every Tuesday night until they cover all the topics from The Great ReSet.

Currently, Cloverdale Church has about 40 people attending these meetings, 10 of whom are not members. During the intensive week, they also had children's programming matching the topics the adults were studying, and several children expressed a desire to be baptized.

The Great ReSet meetings have also served as a revival for existing Cloverdale members. April, who is currently studying theology and doing her internship at the church, organized a visitation team including members who were baptized during last year's evangelistic meetings. They were so excited to receive training and go door-to-door inviting others to come to the meetings. This experience caused their faith to grow.

Another family, who had been baptized as a result of an evangelistic series before COVID-19, brought their mother from California to stay with them and attended the meetings for one week. Their mother flew back to California but took the remaining studies with her, and church members are following up via FaceTime.

Some of the small group meeting on Tuesday nights came last year for Cloverdale's evangelistic meetings but did not make a decision then. These individuals have indicated that this time they came to stay.

Anxiety, ADHD, behavior problems and depression are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children. In fact, almost 10% of kids aged 3-17 have been diagnosed with anxiety.¹

Back-to-school anxiety after a long summer break is very common among children. Anxiety can manifest in various forms, including being separated from parents/pets (separation anxiety), as a phobia of new places and people (social anxiety), of worry about the future and with physical symptoms.

As parents, it’s important to understand how common childhood anxiety is and to acquire tools to use when dealing with anxiety at home. We want our children to have a secure and loving environment where they feel safe, so let’s equip ourselves to help them when they head back to school.

1. Encourage Open Communication

In our household, we prioritize open communication. Creating an atmosphere where our children feel safe to express their feelings and concerns is essential for addressing anxiety. Let your children know it's okay to talk about their worries, and listen attentively without judgment when they do. Use this as an opportunity to remind them of verses like Phil. 4:6-7, which encourages us not to be anxious but to pray and present our requests to God, trusting in His peace that surpasses all understanding.

2. Lead by Example

Children learn a lot by watching our behavior, don’t they? As parents, we must model healthy ways of coping with stress and anxiety. Show them how you pray, meditate on scripture, practice deep breathing and self-care. Let them see you dealing with stress and anxiety in healthy ways. By doing so, we give them tools and teach them resilience and the power of faith in dealing with their own anxiety and stress.

3. Establish a Routine

We have learned a structured routine helps all of us, as anxiety can be exacerbated by uncertainty. Having a consistent daily routine can bring a sense of stability and security to family life. When we can incorporate prayer, devotions and family Bible studies into the daily schedule, this helps instill a strong foundation of faith and provides children with a spiritual anchor to lean on during anxious moments.

4. Promote a Healthy Lifestyle

My husband has his master's degree in marriage and family therapy. He is always learning and sharing about brain health and emotional intelligence, and encouraging the whole family to live healthfully. Physical health is closely tied to mental and emotional well-being. Encourage your children to engage in regular physical activities, eat nourishing foods and get enough sleep. Additionally, teach them the importance of spending time outdoors, appreciating God's creation and finding moments of peace and reflection in nature.

5. Practice Mindfulness and Prayerful Meditation

Mindfulness techniques can help children focus on the present moment, reducing anxiety about the future. In third grade my son learned about using deep breaths, rubbing his bands briskly together and giving himself a big hug as physical ways to ground himself when he’s feeling anxious. Combine these methods with prayerful meditation during which your children can reflect on Bible verses or uplifting messages. Psalm 46:10 reminds us to "be still and know that I am God," offering a powerful reminder of God's presence and control over our lives.

6. Combat Negative Thoughts with Positive Affirmations

Anxiety often leads to negative thinking patterns. We call that “stinkin’ thinkin’” in our home. Teach your children to counter these thoughts with positive affirmations rooted in scripture. Encourage them to repeat affirmations like, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13) whenever they feel overwhelmed.

7. Build a Supportive Community

A strong support system is invaluable in overcoming anxiety. We love to connect with our church community, small groups or Bible study circles so we and our children can build meaningful relationships and feel supported in times of anxiety. This sense of belonging reinforces the knowledge that they are not alone and God is always with us.

This back-to-school season we have the privilege and responsibility to continue to raise our children with love, compassion and faith. By incorporating these tools and strategies into our family lifestyle, we can provide a nurturing environment where our children feel equipped to healthfully deal with anxiety.

Remember to be patient, practice what you preach and rely on God's guidance every step of the way. With love, faith and God's grace, we can foster emotional well-being and a sense of peace which will carry our children successfully through life's challenges. And if your child’s anxiety gets unmanageable, see a professional. It’s okay to get help.

1. https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html

What does it mean to be an effective leader in an unjust society? We live in a time of polarization and pendulum swings. Politicians stoke the fires of our worst fears and grievances; they point out all the flaws of their opponents while lacking the introspection to contemplate their own.

Grievance politics has tapped into these deep-seated feelings of being wronged and has weaponized them. The feeling of being powerless or being treated unfairly strikes at the core of our ego.

Politicians and media talking heads know how to tap into that frustration. They make a living by generating feelings of resentment. They promise vengeance. This style of leadership is tribalistic and ultimately ineffective.

To establish legitimacy, those in authority have to demonstrate they understand and care. Malcolm Gladwell makes this point in his book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, explaining that legitimacy is based on the following:

“First of all, the people who are asked to obey authority have to feel like they have a voice — that if they speak up, they will be heard. Second, the law has to be predictable. There has to be a reasonable expectation that the rules tomorrow are going to be roughly the same as the rules today. And third, the authority has to be fair. It can't treat one group differently from another."¹

These principles are timeless. We may be tempted to believe that leadership is harder now than it has ever been — that if we could somehow bring the country and the church back to an earlier era, we could make it great again. The truth is leadership has never been easy. Consider the polarization and politics of Christ’s day.

The Jewish nation was under control of the Roman empire. They were looking for liberation and wondering why God was not sending the promised Messiah to set them free. To deal with the cognitive dissonance of believing they were the chosen ones while at the same time in subjugation to Rome, there were four main political expressions.

1. The Pharisees thought if they kept the law perfectly God would restore them. They viewed Romans as pagans who eventually would be destroyed by God. The Pharisees clung to their identity at the expense of their relevancy. Instead of engaging the Romans with kindness, they privately despised and hated them. They thought God's answer for the nation was to make Israel great again.

2. On the opposite end of the political/religious spectrum were the Sadducees. The Sadducees grasped for relevancy at the expense of their identity. The way they coped with Roman subjugation was compromising with Rome. They exchanged religious conviction for political gain.

3. The Zealots were essentially radical Pharisees. They were not content to wait for God to overtake the Romans; they were political terrorists who believed their cause was righteous. So, in the name of religion, they slit people's throats.

Speaking of this mindset, professor Jacques Doukhan explains, “Missionary zeal that points a raging finger and calls upon the wrath of God seeks only to divert attention from one’s own responsibilities. It is wrong ever to consider religious violence as an expression of profound conviction. Murder and war, the tortures of the Inquisitions, and all the repressive measures taken in the name of religion are symptomatic of spiritual cowardice and anguish.”²

4. The Essenes were the smallest of the four main groups. They isolated themselves completely from the political fray by moving to the mountains. They comforted themselves with religious rituals to maintain their cleanliness.

This was the political environment Jesus entered. As Jesus became more well-known as a teacher, people wanted to know what side He would choose. He chose disciples on the completely opposite sides of the political religious spectrum: a tax collector and a Zealot.

Tax collectors were seen as traitors by most Jewish people; they made money by charging even higher taxes than Rome demanded. This sellout was a constant reminder of Jewish subjugation to Rome. They were not only seen as unethical cheaters, but as traitors to their homeland and kinsmen. A tax collector may have had money, but that was just about all they had. They were pawns of the Roman government and objects of scorn among their own people. And yet, from among them, Jesus chose Matthew to be His disciple.

On the other end was Simon the Zealot. He was part of a political party which worked to incite violence and rebellion against the Roman Empire. Anyone who sided with Rome was perceived as an enemy and therefore a target of their violent attacks. And yet, from among them, Jesus chose Simon to be His disciple.

The fact that Jesus united people on opposite ends of the political spectrum is instructive for the polarization that exists in our own day. Jesus took a “terrorist” and a “traitor” and made them His disciples. How did He unite them?

True leadership begins not with leaders imposing their will, but with an understanding of the importance of expression of legitimacy.

On the night of the last supper, at the most critical point of His ministry, Jesus demonstrated His power by getting down on His knees and washing His disciple's feet. It was customary for servants to do this, but a Rabbi? The Messiah? Peter noted the dissonance and immediately rejected this offering. Jesus responded, “Unless I wash your feet you will not belong to me” (John 13:8). This was a lesson in legitimacy.

Jesus explained, “The rulers of the Gentiles lord their authority over one another, not so with you” (Matt. 20:25). Status, hierarchy and power are the typical measurements delineating insiders and outsiders, but Jesus presented a different way.

He was a servant leader. He washed the feet of His betrayer, a tax collector and a Zealot. He demonstrated His authority not with force but by self-sacrificing love. Legitimacy as a leader is established by the ability to unite political and religious opponents under a common cause.

His message was a message of mercy and radical love. His kingdom was based on compassion, kindness, and justice. Jesus didn't avoid political debates, He reinterpreted them. If Jesus could unite a Zealot and tax collector, do you think He could unite a Republican and a Democrat today?

We are called to make disciples as Jesus made disciples. We should not be so aligned with one side of politics that we lose the ability to minister to the needs of another. Legitimacy for the Christian is not established by winning political or religious debates, it’s established by walking in the footsteps of Christ.

1. Gladwell, M. (2013). David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants (1st ed.). Back Bay Books.
2. Doukhan, J. B. (2000). Secrets of Daniel: Wisdom and Dreams of a Jewish Prince in Exile. Review and Herald Publishing Association.

A recently published study suggests “a decline in religious practice” leads to an increase in “deaths of despair.”

Deaths of despair are defined as deaths from “suicide and alcohol or drug abuse.” The increase is particularly noticed among middle-aged Americans, both male and female. The relationship between the increased decline in religious participation — not necessarily a decrease in belief, just participation in church — beginning in the 1990s and the increased number of deaths of despair was clear. 

The takeaway is remarkable: We cannot underestimate the importance of spiritually healthy churches! 

Recognizing the negative impact of the recent pandemic on church attendance, North Pacific Union and our three smaller conferences — Alaska, Idaho and Montana — have agreed to collaborate on the challenge of growing local churches.

Local conferences are providing strategy and lots of effort for church revitalization; NPUC is providing needed additional financial resources requested by each conference and church member and board training from our department directors. You'll read about several initiatives in this issue of the Gleaner.

The foundation of all church growth and revitalization is prayer. There is, of course, more to church revitalization than this, but prayer is the most important. Without Christ, we can do nothing. With Christ, nothing is impossible.

The one major way to invite Jesus Christ to be actively involved in church revitalization is to earnestly pray. Incidentally, prayer is also the primary means by which we invite Christ’s activity into our personal spiritual lives. 

We cannot underestimate the power of an active, spiritually healthy church. It’s important to note that church is not bricks, mortar, nails and wood; church is the members. When church members are active and spiritually healthy, the churches they attend usually grow. 

Church attendance does impact positively the growth of a local church and the salvation of those in the community. Another part of being a spiritually healthy church member means recognizing the total dependence we have on God and the need to talk with Him in prayer.

My children have taught me several things about revitalizing churches. Malinda and I were pastoring in Littleton, Colorado, when two of our children, Jesse and Jared, gave us an important lesson on the relationship between total dependence on our Heavenly Father and prayer. 

One late Sunday afternoon many years ago, as I walked a departing visitor out to the front porch, Jared — age 3 — began to cry. Jesse — age 7 — heard his brother’s cry, went over and picked him up. 

Knowing where I was, Jesse carried his brother, with tears still in his eyes, out to me on the porch. Jesse then lifted Jared up, as far as possible, and said, “Daddy, Jared’s crying; you take care of him.” Jesse paused a moment as I reached down, pulled Jared up, held him and wiped away the tears. 

I’ll never forget what happened next. A big smile lit up Jesse’s face as he turned around and ran back into the house. He was fully assured Jared’s needs were being met now that he had placed him in his father’s hands. No worries or doubts filled his heart. 

In a similar way, we can bring the people we know and love — family, friends, neighbors, fellow church members, co-workers, etc. — to our Heavenly Father in prayer. God has big, strong hands and He will wipe away their tears. When we leave our place of prayer, we can go without a worry or doubt that our Father will take care of them. 

We may not see it instantly like Jesse did, yet the death Christ on Calvary gives us the blessed assurance that Jesus is always interceding, full of mercy and grace, for those we lovingly bring to Him. With Christ, nothing is impossible.

I love gardening — it’s one of my favorite hobbies. It’s relaxing to plant things and see them grow throughout the year. Over the years I have developed a very nice garden, but I have a small problem.

A few years ago, my husband wanted a mint plant, and against my better judgment I planted it in my main garden space. For the first year it was barely noticeable — a tiny little plant, in fact. The next year, it was a bit bigger.

During that year it did something I initially didn’t notice — it began to put down a massive root system. What started as something small has become an enormous problem. I’m still struggling to this day to get rid of that “small” mint plant.

Before our world was even created, Scripture tells us something rather small began to slither into the mind of a perfect angel in heaven. He began to feel God was unfair and unjust. Why should God alone be worthy of worship? 

Lucifer felt he knew better than God. Pride began to creep into his heart and began to put down some very deep roots. At first the angels in heaven were appalled at this idea, but over time a number of them began to side with Lucifer.

Pride — the desire for your own will and way — took hold in the hearts of Lucifer and a third of the angels in heaven. This ultimately resulted in Lucifer and his followers being cast out of heaven, because pride has no place in God’s presence. So began the Great Controversy. 

The desire to do whatever makes us feel good and the desire to create our own “truth” is motivated by pride. Pride from a biblical perspective is never a positive thing; rather, we are called in Scripture to surrender our goals and sinful desires, and take hold of Jesus. We are to give up self!

In the 21st century, pride is being exalted as a virtue. Entire movements have arisen which argue whatever feels good and whatever your heart desires should not only be acceptable but celebrated. 

The advocates of this unbiblical and anti-Christian philosophy argue that anyone who opposes or critiques their movement is hateful and bigoted. What began as something small has become deeply rooted in every aspect of our American culture and life.

“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). The teachings of positive pride go against the teachings of scripture. It was pride which drove our original parents to sin. Their desire to do their own thing drove them to forsake God’s instructions and warnings.

Lucifer, now called Satan, was more than happy to help lead them down the path of joyous pride, and the choice to follow self above God resulted in the fall of humanity. Over all of earth’s history the destructive nature of pride can be seen. What God made perfect, Satan continues to work to destroy. 

​The prince of darkness disguises himself as an angel of light, and the accuser and tempter remains just as clever today as he was in the garden of Eden. He seeks to employ pride as a deceptive tool. He encourages humanity to redefine and re-imagine sin. What once was clearly understood as sinful and immoral is now celebrated.

In her book Education, Ellen White writes, “The greatest want of the world is the want of men — men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name” (pg. 57).

​How can modern Seventh-day Adventists seek to uphold God’s high standard? How might we effectively proclaim God’s law of love is normative for all humanity?

1. Do not give in to the world’s agenda of pride. Stand up for truth — the truth that Jesus is Lord and is calling you to surrender your whole being to Him; physically, mentally and spiritually. It is time to give up your own way of life and surrender to Jesus as the true Way. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life…’” (John 14:6).

2. Guard your homes, your families and your children from the alluring prideful ways of the world. As a compassionate global citizen — especially one who calls themselves "Christian" — it is your duty to protect the innocent and vulnerable. In today’s world this is becoming more and more important. Don’t surrender your families to the world’s ideas of pride. 

3. Surrender each day to the leading of God in your life. Let Him transform you into His likeness. Give up self; take hold of God!

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).

It has been said that natural history museums are “cathedrals to atheism;” a concerning nickname for those of us with deeply-rooted faith, to be sure. Recent personal experiences have revealed where this idea came from, and I have to admit it makes sense, especially as it pertains to origins.

I recently returned from a cross-country trip during which I visited three different museums: world-famous Field Museum in Chicago, University of Wyoming’s Geological Museum in Laramie and National Historic Site Fossil Butte in western Wyoming. All displayed fossils with one common theme: “Isn’t evolution amazing?”

The Field Museum in Chicago spent millions of dollars and many hours on their hugely impressive displays of fossil remains, charts, pictures and even interactive stations loudly featuring evolutionary concepts. 

The eras of earth’s history are lavishly shown from one room to another, covering what many mainstream scientists believe to be many millions of years. And the star of this show is, of course, the Tyrannosaurus rex named Sue. Seeing this almost perfectly preserved dinosaur is why many come. I’m one that paid admission to see her, too.

When I see parents pointing to these displays and teaching their kids the evolutionary gospel of origins, I feel two deeply distressing things. First, I am saddened by the lack of recognition given to our Creator. Instead of reveling in the wonder of His creative acts, nature is given the credit for creating, organizing and improving itself. No mention is made of how it does this, but this theory is portrayed as scientific fact. In all of this, I feel God is dishonored, and I was tempted to say something publicly there. But it was, after all, a “cathedral.”

Second, I am frustrated by how deeply rooted these beliefs are. It can be disheartening to think of trying to counteract such a predominant theory with what we believe to be the truth. How can we ever hope to present the concept of creation with sufficient power and efficacy to change people’s thinking? It truly is like rowing upstream in a raging river.

God has used my own convictions and background to lead me to a ministry on origins, but sometimes I really feel insufficient to do much good — especially in museums. But while I disagree with the prevailing narrative at these museums, I also believe they present awesome opportunities for dialogue. 

The University of Wyoming’s small geological museum showed how “birds are the descendants of dinosaurs.” You know, lizard skin grew fuzz which became feathers and so on. No mention how fuzz can become feathers, which are follicles that grow from beneath the skin. There was a volunteer student dinosaur fan there who was helpful and friendly, and I learned things from him. He had faith, even if it wasn’t the same as mine. 

The National Historic Site of Fossil Butte, a bit off the path in western Wyoming, had some world-class fossilized aquatic animals and flora. Mostly, they had beautifully preserved fish. Gaitano was the ranger in charge, a graduate student studying paleontology. A likable young man, he was deeply dedicated to the discoveries of the fossils at that site and what they represented.

His was a zeal worthy of a better cause. I did tell him I was a creationist and that we had recently dug at the DinoDig site in northeastern Wyoming for Southwestern Adventist University. Though I did not challenge his beliefs directly, the conversation and exchanging of ideas was important nonetheless.

Although, I can’t help but ask myself: What were millions of fish doing in Wyoming? A great prehistoric lake, is what scientists say. But they often make no mention as to how those millions were preserved, since fish fossils are not being formed today. 

On that same DinoDig trip, we passed a mine where bentonite is being mined. Bentonite is a clay made with volcanic ash and seawater. Think about that: The dinosaur bones we were digging up in Wyoming were part of a mass water-buried grave. I wholeheartedly believe the Genesis flood is why we even have any fossils to begin with!

Ah, but how to get this word out to the world? As seventh-day people, we have a unique message to share — and I believe we must use a loud voice in these last days. My little voice alone won’t accomplish nearly enough to shake the evolution-believing world; nor will yours or anybody’s on its own.

Moving forward, what we need is the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of Truth — to shed brilliant light to penetrate the deep recesses of these “cathedrals” built to a different god. We need to keep praying for opportunities to direct those searching for truth toward meaningful dialogue about the ultimate source of knowledge and wisdom: our Creator.

The youth and young adults of Adventist Community Church of Vancouver hosted four evangelistic series during the pandemic and have seen about 30 baptisms because of their work. They decided after a year to do it again. This time Roger Walter, lead pastor, would join them and speak for half the messages, while the youth and young adults would speak for the other half.

The seminar was on Friday nights, Sabbath mornings, Saturday nights and Sunday nights only. There were two topics each night and one on Sabbath mornings. The youth and young adults would speak on one of them each evening; Walter would speak on the other.

Patricia and Durrell began coming night by night. Patricia took copious notes as she listened to each speaker and would come forward afterward to ask the youth speaking that night for more information.

One night, as they exited, Durrell shared with Walter that his ex-wife was an Adventist. They discussed this further, and bonded over a few laughs. Durrell and Patricia went on to join the church by profession of faith.

In the end, Adventist Community Church had 13 decisions for baptism or profession of faith, demonstrating God's faithfulness to the youth and young adult leaders. The church is very thankful for new members as they join the church family from a season of evangelism, and is now helping them put their spiritual roots down deep in an extended season of discipleship.

Lauretta could be described as one who has found peace, but that was not always her story. A few years ago, she and her husband began making church a regular part of their lives. They also wanted their son to enjoy the blessings of Christian education, so they sent him to an Adventist school.

Unfortunately, Lauretta lost her husband to several health complications which he struggled to overcome. And now the responsibility of providing for her family rested solely on her shoulders.

While it was not easy, she stepped up to the task. Church was no longer part of her life, and for two years, Lauretta stepped away from church life.

During these times of being away, she felt something was missing, but could not put her finger on what it was. She acknowledged her desire to do something for herself, but needed to figure out what that was. Not having her husband around also brought constant pain.

It was at this time that The Great ReSet evangelistic series took place. Something sparked inside Lauretta as she thought this might be the thing missing in her life.

She began attending the series, and soon the peace that was missing in her life returned. The emotional turmoil of loneliness and confusion was lifted. Although she no longer had her husband, she no longer felt alone.

Lauretta shared that she decided to invite God into her place of employment, and on the day the decision was made, she had the highest success rate of any employee. She had found Jesus.

My wife Carolann and I arrived in the Pacific Northwest exactly seven years ago. The timing of our call could not have come at a busier time for us; we were serving the Central California Conference as ministerial and evangelism directors and had various projects going on. Our gut response was, “We are too busy right now to move; perhaps later.”

Our president, in an attempt to keep us in California, offered Carolann a full-time job as associate director, along with a masters in theology from La Sierra University. And as if this wasn’t enough, he offered to put her on the commissioning track.

I was excited for Carolann, who had labored in ministry by my side for more than twenty years as a volunteer. She had received other invitations to serve as a salaried employee but she had declined the invitations so we could continue serving as a team. We just had too many good excuses to not want to come to the PNW. We were certainly too busy enjoying our service to ministry couples.

Jesus told a story in the book of Luke: 

“A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'

"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' Another said, 'I have just bought five yokes of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can’t come'" (Luke 14:16–20).

So, it seems those invited to this banquet were too busy to come, and each presented different polite excuses to abstain from showing up. In summary, they all responded to the servant’s announcement that the banquet was ready by replying, “Sorry, but we are too busy.”

We know this invitation symbolizes the heavenly banquet the Lord is preparing for His treasured guests to enjoy with Him. It represents heaven’s utmost effort to attract the objects of God’s deepest affection to Himself. God’s deepest longing and cherished goal for us is that we would come and accept the banquet invitation to sup with Him — a meaningful invitation so culturally singular in the ancient East. He doesn’t want anyone to perish, but wants all to joyfully participate in His kingdom banquet.

Let’s assume this banquet represents our family. What would keep you from showing up? What are the excuses we give for staying away from special moments with our families? Sleeping in our own bed and seeing our family for a few moments here and there does not mean we are genuinely emotionally connected to our families.

There are too many spiritual leaders who are home physically, but emotionally absent. Sadly, being emotionally absent is typically something we do unconsciously. It is difficult to identify when we have checked out emotionally. Psychosocial studies have demonstrated that parents who are physically present but emotionally absent inadvertently cause deeper emotional damage to their children than when they are unable to be physically present.

Let’s imagine this banquet invitation represents our marriage. What keeps us from showing up? It is not uncommon to hear spouses complaining during the typical counseling session: “I don’t feel he/she is really here,” or “Our bodies are here, but we are drifting apart, and we don’t know how to stop it.” Sometimes, we are just too busy to show up.

Perhaps the banquet dinner represents a relationship with one of our children or all our children.  Maybe we just can’t find a way to connect; perhaps we have bought the satanic lie that our growing children don’t really need us, and we have busied ourselves with the piles of ministry commitments.

Our kids are so different; they think and speak another language and we just drift apart as we watch them enjoying their friends and their lives, emotionally disconnected from us. It’s just so easy to not show up!

I still remember the time one of my sons asked me if I remembered when he used to play with his toys next to my home office door, in the hallway. Feeling ashamed, I told him that I did not remember.  When I asked him why he would play there under the frame of my door, he said, “Mom told me you couldn’t be bothered because you were so busy, but I still wanted to be close to you.”

Ouch! I had been given a 3-month sabbatical to complete my doctoral dissertation, and I was too busy to notice my 4-year-old son playing at my door during that quarter.

What are our excuses for not showing up to the events, gatherings, family moments which are critical moments in our lives and theirs? 

Rewind to our story about the banquet. It seems like the guests forgot that attending the event meant they became recipients of all the Host’s benevolence. The gifts and honors specifically prepared for the guests were far greater than a mere evening of culinary pleasure. Coming to the banquet meant becoming the recipients of a radically abundant quality of life which would permeate every aspect of their existence. 

Since the Host of the banquet is Jesus Himself, He offers Himself as the authentic Bread of Life, the Living Water that quenches and satisfies the deepest needs and desires of the human heart. But like those invited guests, we are simply too busy to participate in this life-transforming celebration with Jesus.

The irony is that the invited guests didn’t have a clue that this invitation to the banquet was the most important appointment they needed to attend. Who buys a field without first looking at it? Especially animals — who buys them without first checking them out? Even the newly married groom could have brought his bride with him to the banquet — even if for a few hours. 

But they were all too busy. They all believed they had something more important to attend to. 

Unfortunately, we can be efficient in a lot of things in our lives, but not necessarily effective. When we say that we’re too busy, it usually means we don’t have our priorities straight. We think we are busy with important matters, but unless we’ve had our loved ones review and approve our list of “important things to do” we might have disordered priorities. 

Ramsey Solutions¹ offers a list of eight signs to confirm whether you might be too busy:

1. You are always trying to multi-task.
2. You are exhausted and overwhelmed.
3. You must schedule things well in advance.
4. You have a hard time focusing and enjoying the moment.
5. You never take time off.
6. You feel out of balance.
7. You feel guilty a lot of the time.
8. You’re filling your calendar with things you don’t even want to do.

If this is you, today is a good day to recalibrate your values and priorities.

The best dish served is not eaten at the table; the best feast is eaten at the feet of Jesus. The best-spent time is not spent acquiring fields, animals or buildings; it is taking time to sit with Jesus. The best place to be is not at the marketplace or the meeting place; it is in the presence of God who is longing to reach out to heal our broken priorities, to redeem our messed-up lives, to save us from our self-centered priorities. 

Let’s come to the supper. There is deep nourishment awaiting. Let’s drop what we’re doing and show up!

1. https://www.ramseysolutions.com/personal-growth/life-is-too-busy

When my daughter was in elementary school at our local Adventist Academy, she had a senior mentor as part of the Partnering For Eternity program. The Partnering for Eternity scholarship program has been helping cultivate relationships between mentors and students at Adventist academies and elementary schools since 2006. We had such a great experience with her senior mentor; it was an invaluable program. 

As children grow up, it's important for them to have positive role models and mentors to guide them through life. While parents, teachers and peers can all play important roles in shaping a child's development, there's one group that often gets overlooked: seniors. Having a senior mentor can be incredibly beneficial for kids in a variety of ways, from learning new skills to gaining a deeper appreciation for the past.

“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life” (Proverbs 16:31).

Learning from experience

One of the main benefits of having a senior mentor is the opportunity to learn from their wealth of experience. Seniors have lived through decades of ups and downs and have valuable insights to share about everything from relationships to career paths. They can offer practical advice based on their own successes and failures, and help kids navigate life's challenges with greater confidence. My daughter often told her senior mentor what she was struggling with in school and with friends and she received such great advice. 

“I will satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation” (Psalm 91:16).

Building intergenerational connections

In today's fast-paced world, it's all too easy for different generations to live in their own bubbles. Having a senior mentor can break down these barriers and build connections across generations. Kids can learn about the past and gain a deeper appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of those who came before them. Meanwhile, seniors can feel valued and appreciated and gain a renewed sense of purpose by passing on their knowledge and wisdom to the next generation. My daughter’s senior mentor doesn’t have a granddaughter, so it was special for her to share experiences with Bella over the course of two school years. 

Developing new skills

Seniors are often skilled in a wide range of areas, from cooking to woodworking to storytelling. By spending time with a senior mentor, kids can learn new skills that may not be taught in school or at home. These skills can be practical, such as learning how to cook a traditional family recipe, or creative, such as picking up a new hobby like painting or embroidery. My daughter and her senior mentor did fun things like plant flowers, bake dessert bars and make their own wrapping paper. 

“So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Boosting confidence and self-esteem

Having a positive role model in their life can do wonders for a child's self-esteem and confidence. A senior mentor can offer words of encouragement, praise and guidance, helping kids feel more confident in their abilities and more secure in their sense of self. By providing a listening ear and a non-judgmental perspective, a senior mentor can also help kids work through feelings of self-doubt or anxiety.

“But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations” (Psalms 33:11).

Encouraging a lifelong love of learning

Finally, having a senior mentor can encourage kids to be lifelong learners. By exposing them to new ideas, experiences and perspectives, seniors can ignite curiosity and thirst for knowledge that lasts well into adulthood. This can lead to a love of reading, a passion for history or a desire to explore new cultures and ideas. My daughter and her senior mentor had a book club and built a little free library for our block. 

Having a senior mentor can be incredibly beneficial for kids. It offers an opportunity to learn from experience, build intergenerational connections, develop new skills, boost confidence and self-esteem and encourage a lifelong love of learning. Whether it's a grandparent, a neighbor or a volunteer at a local senior center, finding a senior mentor can be a truly rewarding experience for both kids and seniors alike. I encourage you to find a mentor in your neighborhood or church.

Have you ever played the “where were you” game?

Where were you when the towers fell? Where were you when Mount St. Helens blew? Where were you when the Challenger exploded? Where were you when JFK was shot?

Each question references a point in time when we all knew life would never be the same again. They are emotional forks in the road that divide everything into before and after.

As a spiritual leader, you know the difference one moment can make — maybe not on the scope of a national disaster, but a turning point just the same. You’ve been there when the lights came on and you could see your team get it. You’ve felt the tide turn in a meeting. You’ve sat in silence with someone as they realized the one they loved was truly gone.

One moment can change everything, but I wonder how many moments we miss — moments that could've redefined everything, moments that slipped by, moments unnoticed like the one that must've passed over most of the people who heard Jesus proclaim the beginning of His ministry in Mark.

Without much preamble, Mark shows Jesus getting right down to the business of preaching the good news with these words: “The time has come ... the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15).

Perhaps we too might miss the significance of what Jesus was saying without a second look. This could be nothing more than a straightforward announcement opening Christ’s ministry to the world.  However, there is so much more in this simple statement than meets the eye. If we’re willing to take a closer look, it can transform not just our own spiritual development, but also how we, as spiritual leaders, can co-operate with the work of the spirit in the lives of those we lead.

From the very first word, this simple statement becomes the doorway to a new reality. You don’t have to be a great Greek student to know Mark had a couple of options to choose from when he wrote, “The time has come.” 

We’re quite familiar with the more common option that we actually use frequently in English. He could have used the word “chronos” which refers to the minute-by-minute ticking of the clock that marks the sequence of our days. It's one of the ways we measure how the events in our lives relate to one another. We use it to say, “This came before, or after, that,” for example.

Mark used a different word in Greek for time — one that may be less familiar to our way of thinking, but certainly something his first readers would have understood very well. He used the term “kairos” when Jesus begins speaking about time. Kairos is exactly the word you would use when you might ask your friend, “Do you remember the time the twin towers fell?” or when the preacher says to the groom, “It's time,” just before they walk out to meet his bride on their wedding day.

Unlike chronological time, which measures the flow of our moments, kairos time is intended to measure the significance of any one of them. It’s a verbal stop sign inviting us to pause for a moment and consider just what is about to change. Obviously, some of our kairos moments are impossible to miss. If you and I had been standing there with Jesus, would we have recognized the seismic shift in reality He was announcing. Sometimes a kairos moment will fly on by without us ever noticing.

Consider His next words for a moment: “The Kingdom of God is near.” It was so near in fact that it was standing right in front of everyone. Jesus was trying to tell everyone that a completely new way to live was now available to them.

This idea of “the Kingdom of God” is the antithesis of the reality they were used to. There’s an alternative to “the kingdom of this world” and the doorway to that new life was standing right in front of them. Visibly, nothing had changed. The same slightly dusty preacher with hard calloused hands was standing on the same Palestinian hillside, but if you had ears to hear, you could have heard a thunderclap roll across the cosmos. If you had eyes to see, you could have watched the demons quake as they realized the King was opening the gates of heaven and inviting all who would to enter in.

In order to take all that in, it required the listener to pause for a moment in the hustle and flow of their chronological day and ask a simple but profound question, “What does this mean for me?” Without that pause, the moment is lost and, with it, the learning that comes from spending a moment living in it.

So how do we catch those kairos moments before they fly by unnoticed? How do we, as spiritual leaders, encourage others to capture the experience Jesus would refer to later as the Holy Spirit, “guiding you into all truth?”

Jesus actually gave us a simple formula that helps us pause and enter into what Walt Breen and Mike Kalistadt refer to in their book, The Passionate Life, as “the learning circle.” In Mark 1:15, Jesus says, “The time has come ... the Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” Repent and believe; those two words are the key.

Like so many other words in our Christian vocabulary, those two words have picked up quite a bit of spiritual baggage along their 2,000-year journey. However, in the first century they were perfectly practical everyday kinds of words, and they give us a prescription for an attitude that can turn any singular moment in time into a learning experience if we’re willing to embrace it.

Let’s start with the idea of repentance. For many of us, the word conjures up images of wild-eyed street preachers and leaves us with a pervasive sense of undefined guilt. If we strip back the spiritual baggage, to repent is another way of saying, “I changed my mind.” For example, “I was going to have mint chocolate chip, but now I think I’ll have rocky road.” It’s all about taking a moment to reconsider.

Broken down to its component parts, repentance is a three-step process of observing our situation, reflecting on it and discussing it to unpack what just happened. Sometimes that kind of processing can happen so fast you don’t have time to break it down, like the moment I accidentally touched an electric fence. I repented instantly! I observed that my situation was incredibly painful, reflected on my poor judgment and began the discussion of my situation at high volume, all before I really thought through what was happening.   

Of course, most of the time, we have the luxury of engaging in that process at a more leisurely pace if we’re willing to take a moment to do so. That was exactly what Jesus asked his hearers to do. The Kingdom of God is near, but you’ll have to pause for a moment and consider the situation or it will fly by.

But kairos moments have little impact unless I’m willing to both repent and believe. Just like the word, “repent,” the word “believe” has picked up its own religious context. At its core, belief is an invitation to take action, not just to accept information.

Just as repentance is the call to change course, belief is the challenge to take the first steps in that new direction. It’s a call to plan out a new course, account for the journey with others and then act upon it. 

As I write this, I am nearing the beginning of a new experience for me. I’m taking a sabbatical. Thanks to the graciousness of my employers, I entered into a kairos moment. I repented. I observed that I needed a change of pace and reflected on my options. I took the time to talk it through with my wife and my supervisor, and then I believed. I began to plan what I was going to do and decided it was time to get that book I’ve been thinking about out of my head and onto paper.

What does this have to do with believing? Since belief is really all about action and not just head thoughts, I took that plan to write a book and began to tell other people — like all of you reading this — that I would be writing a book. I did that precisely because I’ll be much more likely to stay on track and get the job done if I know there are others who’ve heard about my plan and want to see the finished product. 

This is the power of a kairos moment. It’s an invitation to let life’s experiences, good or bad, become more than just another forgotten blip in the story of our lives. It’s a chance to let the Holy Spirit do exactly what He was promised for in the first place.

I’ll tell you that when you recognize the signs, you’ll see opportunities for kairos moments popping up all around you. One of my favorites is when I find myself, or hear one of my leaders, asking, “Why does this keep happening to me?” That’s a sure sign of a kairos moment coming back around for another swing.

The Kingdom of God is just as near as it has ever been — even nearer than ever, if that were possible — and the kairos moments will keep coming. When God promises to work all things for the good of those who love Him, I believe kairos moments are one of his most powerful tools in fulfilling that promise.

When we see the stress and strain show up in the lives of those we serve, what better response could we have than to pause for a moment, enter the learning circle with them and let the power of that moment begin to change us.