Seventh-day Adventist

Jesus’ teaching in John 15:1 illustrates our dependence on Him: “I am the true vine,” He says. How often have we tried to be the vine, but produced sour grapes—the ugly works of the flesh?

It seems as if the jungle, the mountains and rural areas are favorite destinations to send new ministers. I was no exception. My first district was in the deep forest of Nicaragua, surrounded by rushing rivers and deep lagoons. Our congregations resided in small communities nestled around these lagoons. Ninety percent of travel between them was by river, so we used an outboard motorboat to carry out pastoral work.

Because we are in a war against the devil, we need to be “armed to the teeth.” The Bible is our weapons store, our armory where we may arm ourselves for the struggle.

I had three small children living in Texas. There was no food, no job, no money and no husband. I had one cup of rice and one cup of beans, and, like the widow in the Bible, I was going to make that meal and then try to figure it out from there. She had made up her mind to die; I wasn’t quite there yet, but I was very discouraged.

In the movie The Sound of Music, Maria sings “My Favorite Things” to the von Trapp children to comfort them during a thunderstorm. She tells them that whenever she’s scared or upset, she simply sings about things that bring her comfort and joy. I figure if she can sing about “raindrops on roses,” then I should be able to use Scripture to do the same thing.

I recall reading John 15, seeing God “prune” areas in my life that did not fit His plan and fulfilling a plan He had already laid out perfectly for me. Allowing the Vinedresser to prune desires that were against His plan helped me to see how much more potential I had when I placed Him at the forefront.

God is on the move in powerful ways across Pennsylvania—in lives, in churches and in schools.

The end of the year is approaching, a time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus—
a moment when He arrived "on time."

I love this text, mostly because it is a simple proclamation of the gospel. But also because it sets the record straight in regard to the lies the serpent told in the Garden of Eden. Many people are still being convinced that God’s Word is not reliable, that God uses obedience to keep good things from his people and that we do not already have everything we need to reflect the image of God.