December 18 Mike and I packed his Saab station wagon with food, clothes, fishing rods, gifts, and Fred the dog, and set out for the shores of the Gulf of Mexico for the annual Christmas gathering of my extended family. The trip cost us a chunk of change in gas, tolls, and hotels, plus some … Continue reading –>
A few seasoned Adventists think of Sabbath School as a place where they come to spar and debate with their fellow Adventist friends about the 144,000 being a symbolic or literal number, or whether Jesus came with a pre-lapsarian nature or post-lapsarian nature. However, that is not the purpose of Sabbath School. The purpose of Sabbath … Continue reading –>
My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck. Proverbs 1:8-9 NLT Ephesians 5:33 in the KJV calls for wives to reverence their husbands. That is powerful, because the Bible never tells anyone … Continue reading –>
A member of my New Believer’s Sabbath School class, in the Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist Church, had been struggling with getting Sabbaths off at work so she could observe the Bible Sabbath. She told me she had to work on Sabbath, and I would gently tell her that she did not have to work. She had a … Continue reading –>
Shepherds and academics do not appear to have a lot in common, but I grew up on a small sheep farm and later became an academic. Both jobs can be quite lonely at times. I can remember as quite a young lad having to go around our small flock of about 200 sheep in the … Continue reading –>
Several years ago, a family form Central America, brought their toddler to Tampa, Florida for medical treatment, because she was not developing and was having seizures. The doctors did not have much to offer. After one of my Wednesday morning community Bible studies at the church, we had an anointing service for the baby. Months … Continue reading –>
We should extend the ideas of James 5:2-3 beyond the mere accumulation of money and look at our penchant for gaining social position, and maintaining control. My daughter sent me this article to shake me out of my complacency: “Volunteerism: More Harm Than Good,” by Heather Ruiz. It is worth reading because the issues she talks about … Continue reading –>
Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you … Continue reading –>
Seventh-day Adventists pioneers spent days and nights earnestly studying the Bible to arrive at the truths that now define us as a body of believers. They became known as a people who knew their Bibles. But how is it with you and me? Is our faith anchored firmly in the Word of God, or does it … Continue reading –>
While I love being with friends, it does not bother me to be alone. Being alone does not make me lonely. Being misunderstood makes me lonely. In a youth group I asked the young people what specific things do others not understand about you that you wish they did. An ordinarily quiet group suddenly became very vocal. Everyone … Continue reading –>
