Stories & Commentaries

Last week, I was reminded about being involved in a major nation-wide public health program in Poland in the early 1980s, when the then Five-Day Stop Smoking Plan.[1] attracted literally thousands of smokers who flooded Adventist churches and public venues.

“The science of cooking is not a small matter. The skillful preparation of food is one of the most essential arts, . . . This art should be regarded as the most valuable of all the arts, because it is so closely connected with life” (Counsels on Diets and Foods, p. 263).

Many years ago I was beginning my teaching career at Battle Creek Academy in Michigan. We were living on campus and my wife and I hosted a Friday evening vespers in our home for students. There was a faithful group of six to eight students that worshiped with us week after week. We would have a meal, to which the students contributed, before we worshiped. Tears were often shed as trust grew and we all learned to be open and real.

The young adults walked into the church. I could tell they weren’t from Pohnpei (in the Federated States of Micronesia). At the end of the program, I introduced myself to them and found out that they were the new student missionaries at the Pohnpei Seventh-day Adventist School.

In the midst of Sin City, Mario Fuentes had a thirst for God. During the 40 years he had lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mario learned plenty about the world, yet knew little about the church. Other than a casual encounter he’d had with some missionaries in Colorado, he had no idea who Seventh-day Adventists were.

I will be the first to admit that when news reports flash daily across my TV screen or mobile device I often look at nothing more than a headline, and jump to any number of conclusions. If I do take time to read the article that is pretty much all the engaging I do with whatever bit of news I have just ingested.

Has your church been praying for the people of West Virginia? Some might say to me, "But we don't even know them. We don't know exactly what the needs are. And what can our prayers from such a long distance do about flood waters way over in West Virginia?"

This past April I was privileged to be at the Adventurer Family Camp for the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference, held at Camp Yorktown Bay. There were close to 350 attendees, which included many Adventurers and their parents.

What a blessing to have hope in something, and to know that no matter what goes wrong in our lives, Someone is there to pick us up and renew us with His grace and salvation.

I have invited several Muslim friends to address the issue of "Who is Allah?" There is enough trust among us that I can ask questions that otherwise may be deemed offensive. I hope this Q&A helps others understand how they view God, and His relationship to "sacred violence."