LIBERTY: THE VERY ESSENCE OF FAITH “What are your thoughts on this?” A friend exposed his concern. My eyes examined the sentence in question: “Liberty is the very essence of faith” (The Great Controversy, pg. 189). A story wandered into my awareness as I weighed those words. “This quote by Luther brings to mind [...]
ONE WEEK IN PARADISE “The trash I am going to throw into the garbage is my lack of belief that my body has the ability to heal.” Resounding applause filled the room. “And the treasure I am going to take home from this week is the persistency to stand on God’s truth and [...]
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE HYMN? Recently a ladies’ prayer group invited me to join them on WhatsApp, and my soul was refreshed every day as we prayed for each other. Our Sabbath mornings were even more special; we laughed together, and we also cried together as we pleaded with God to answer our heart-felt [...]
BAGS OF LOVE “These children don’t know where they’re going, and then they have to wait in a rigid office, usually late at night, while the social worker calls up different foster parents to place the kids in the correct homes.” Jewel Lien’s voice softens as she explains, “At this crucial waiting time, [...]
FINDING HOPE TOGETHER “God created us from the beginning as social creatures, yet we are lonelier than ever before.” A pastor and good friend opened his heart. “We live in a world with so much suffering, and since my church serves hundreds of hurting people in our community, we see firsthand the results of [...]
MORE THAN A CANCER SURVIVOR, HOLLY IS A CHILD OF GOD “God, don’t let this happen!” The wind instantly changed direction, beating a raging wildfire away from their house, towards a stack of bales after swallowing up a quarter section of land on the other side of their fence line. The fire department [...]
Those five words hit me like a truck: “Launch out into the deep!” Immediately, resistance reared up: Deep? Into the D-E-E-P? Nah, I don’t think so…I’ve tried that before; it didn’t work. Simon Peter felt the same: “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing…" If Simon says: “This is not a [...]
BEING GOD'S ANSWER TO THOSE IN NEED FOLLOWING THE LYTTON FIRE Characters of various shapes and sizes, at all ages and stages of life, with different skin tones and fragrances flocked to her home, ate her husband’s Filipino food, and conversed in lawn chairs—a vibrant, joyous atmosphere permeating the air. Children ran around while [...]
BE A TREE Like a tumble weed at the mercy of the elements, I lacked stability and went wherever the winds of excitement swayed my wretched flesh. Drinking every weekend with fellow accomplices, killing brain cells, barely existing—a reckless, aimless, empty shell—I circled as dust in the wind. If you probed me at [...]
KNOWING GOD'S WILL? Her eyes glistened: “I am so happy high school is finally behind me, and so excited to start the next chapter of my life.” “This is a phenomenal season of your life, yet I detect some uncertainty.” “I wish I knew God’s will; it would help me make the right decision.” [...]
