Stories & Commentaries

Almost six decades have come and gone, along with the Soviet Union and most of the British Empire, 11 U.S. presidents, nine Minnesota Vikings coaches (no Super Bowl victories yet!), and three generations of Maplewood students who counted Evan Swanson (known as "Swanee") as a lifelong friend and mentor. This year, at age 80, Swanson finally retired his dry erase markers.

It has been a year since we were deeply impacted by the dreadful coronavirus pandemic. Each of us can recall what it felt like as we watched, in almost stunned disbelief, the country shut down—offices closed down, churches closed, restaurants closed, professional sports canceled, children sent home indefinitely from school, citizens required to stay home, grocery stores running out of basic items, hand sanitizer in short supply, and toilet paper being fought over in the aisles. We've experienced an economic downturn, and social injustice and inequality. ... What sense have you made of it as a Seventh-day Adventist? Is God concerned about this world? What is He saying to us?

Alex Ulrich began college as a kinesiology major. She intended to practice physical therapy with her degree, but when a physical therapist visited her class to help the students understand more about what is involved in the position, Ulrich found herself disappointed. ... While doing research on different colleges and their programs, Ulrich came across the Union College Occupational Therapy Assistant program.

The third Saturday in April is often annually observed as National Husband Appreciation Day in the United States. Do we really need a day to remind us to show our husbands that we appreciate them? The busyness of our day-to-day routine lends itself to taking the people closest to us for granted and a failure to express appreciation to them.

A life with kidney issues brought Gina Lockhart closer to God. After a lifesaving transplant, she lives out her faith by sharing her miraculous testimony and giving back to her community. Read this special feature during April, National Donate Life Month in the U.S.

In 2010, about two decades after beginning her work with the Maasai in Kenya, Jan Latsha started the Maasai Development Project, a refuge/home for girls escaping female genital mutilation and early marriage. She also organized a corps of lay pastors who have led many Maasai to come to know Jesus and join the Adventist Church.

Rachel Scribner, a 2019 graduate of the Walla Walla University cinema, religion, and worldview master’s program, has collaborated with Hope Channel and Carl Cosaert, dean of the WWU School of Theology, to create a television series about Jesus that is based on the gospel of Mark. In this interview, Scribner talks about what went into creating the series.

It started with gratitude: A simple idea to acknowledge and appreciate the dedication of healthcare workers who serve all of us. Faith Rivera, a young adult at Younger Generation Church (YG) in Arlington, Texas, pitched the idea of offering Valentine’s appreciation gifts to all the frontliners at Texas Health Mansfield.

In the midst of a pandemic, by God’s grace, Georgia-Cumberland Academy (GCA) began the 2020-2021 school year with an opening enrollment of 261, an increase of 11 students over the past year. And with prayer and bold vision, and acts of generosity, the school is in the process of upgrading its campus facilities to continue its service to Adventist families.

When the Shelby County, Tennessee, Health Department placed significant restrictions on area restaurants and other businesses in December 2020 because of the coronavirus, Adventist Reginald Coopwood, M.D., and his family decided to do something to help those impacted. The Coopwoods set up the “Pay It Forward Mid-South” campaign, which ran through Jan. 31, 2021. By the end of the campaign, close to $500,000 had been raised.