Stories & Commentaries

"To all of our family: To our brothers and sisters in Canada, our brothers and sisters in Bermuda, our brothers and sisters in Guam-Micronesia, and certainly our brothers and sisters here in the United States. We would like to say to you, on behalf of our North American Division office and leadership team, we thank God for your faithfulness for another year, for how you have served your communities, how you have engaged your communities, and how you have spread the love of Jesus Christ abroad," says NAD president G. Alexander Bryant, in the 2024 holiday message he shares with wife, Desiree Bryant, who is the NAD Ministerial Spouses director.

Dawson Stephens hasn’t always felt the passion for ministry that he has today. It took strong action from God to change the trajectory of the life of this senior theology major in the School of Religion at Southern Adventist University, and he uses his testimony to inspire other believers who are struggling with faith.

Have you ever hit rock bottom and found hope from an unexpected source? For a 16-year-old girl from California, that hope came in the form of a pocket-sized Signs of the Times given to her by a stranger on an Amtrak train. Hers is one of countless stories of a tract sparking transformation. Take advantage of the holidays, and a limited sale, to spread the love of God organically with these life-changing materials.

It’s easy to express gratitude when the outcome is favorable, when the struggle has passed, and when we can see the fruit of our perseverance. But what if we could learn to give thanks not just at the end of the journey but “in the middle of it”? What if we could cultivate the kind of gratitude that doesn’t wait for the resolution, but chooses to acknowledge God’s faithfulness even while the outcome is still unknown?

For attendees at the North American Division (NAD) Year-End Meeting, the Sabbath arrived as a welcome sacred pause, offering divine rest amid the intensive days of church business. All who gathered enjoyed worship, praise, and fellowship through three avenues: Sabbath School, worship service, and afternoon concert.

After a whirlwind five years, including a pandemic and transition from Ontario Conference communication director to NAD news writer/news producer, I returned to camporee, this time in Gillette, Wyoming, in 2024. Return speaker Damian Chandler’s messages and the production powerfully depicted the story of Moses, my favorite Bible character. The most lasting lessons came, however, from the storms that impacted the “Believe the Promise” camporee.

God has promised a special gift to His church and to His people living in the last days. This promise is illustrated in a very familiar passage found in Joel 2:28, 29: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit” (KJV). This promise is for us today. For all people.

I’ve been flying a lot lately and noticed something I never paid attention to before. No, it’s not about the safety features. I’ve accepted that the unlikely event of a water landing means we’re crashing, and if I have to blow through a tube to inflate a flimsy-looking vest, I’m doomed. C'est la vie. What’s caught my attention is that most of the planes I’ve flown on have 175 seats, also known as literature racks. Seriously, the seatback pockets often have a “Literature only” label on them. That’s basically an invitation for literature evangelism. I can’t fill them all, but I can share a few books and magazines in the racks near me.

Attending conventions within the North American Division is always an engaging experience. There is the promise of exceptional speakers, vibrant music, interesting breakout sessions, and an exhibit hall overflowing with new organizations to discover. But what makes conventions such as the 2024 Adventist Young Professionals Conference exciting is the whole person benefits of connection and community.

“Camporee is the zenith of experiences for every Pathfinder,” says Vernon Norman of Huntsville, Alabama. That’s why it was his dream for almost 40 years to attend an International Pathfinder Camporee. This past August in Gillette, Wyoming, his dream came true.