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November 14, 2013
Web Site Redesign Unveiled
Creation in Focus
Jaime Jorge: Center Stage
9
24
28
REACHthe
WORLD
NEXTDOOR
aren’t Christians
When our neighbors
“Behold, I come quickly . . .”
Our mission is to uplift Jesus Christ by presenting stories of His
matchless love, news of His present workings, help for knowing
Him better, and hope in His soon return.
16 20 8 6
COVER FEATURE
16 Reach the World
Next Door
Scott Griswold
A mission specialist suggests
how to share the
gospel with the non-
Christians who live in
our neighborhoods.
ARTICLES
20 My Lungs Expand
With His Praise
Ilyn Clarke and Maria
Mc Clean
An organ transplant recipient
reflects on receiving a
second chance at life.
24 Creation in Focus
George T. Javor
Once we understand
our origins, everything
else falls into place.
DEPARTMENTS
4 Letters
7 Page 7
8 World News &
Perspectives
13 Give & Take
15 Searching the Obvious
2 3 Introducing the Why
27 GLOW Stories
EDITORIALS
6 Lael CAESAR
Xenophobia and God
7 Carlos Medley
Speaking Truth to Power
ON THE COVER
We used to have to go to the
mission field to meet Buddhists,
Hindus, Muslims. Now, in many
cities, they live right next door.
28 Jaime Jorge:
Center Stage
Karen Pearson
How can such a young
man be celebrating 25
years of music ministry?
31 Reflections
Next Week
From Clicktivist to Activist
Let’s face it: It’s easier to be
an activist in front of a keyboard
than out in the community.
But is that enough?
Publisher General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists ® , Executive Publisher Bill Knott, Associate Publisher Claude Richli, Publishing Board: Ted N. C. Wilson, chair; Benjamin D. Schoun,
vice chair; Bill Knott, secretary; Lisa Beardsley-Hardy; Daniel R. Jackson; Robert Lemon; Geoffrey Mbwana; G. T. Ng; Daisy Orion; Juan Prestol; Michael Ryan; Ella Simmons; Mark Thomas; Karnik
Doukmetzian, legal adviser. Editor Bill Knott, Associate Editors Lael Caesar, Gerald A. Klingbeil, Coordinating Editor Stephen Chavez, Online Editor Carlos Medley, Features Editor Sandra
Blackmer, Young Adult Editor Kimberly Luste Maran, KidsView Editor Wilona Karimabadi, News Editor Mark A. Kellner, Operations Manager Merle Poirier, Financial Manager Rachel Child,
Editorial Assistant Marvene Thorpe-Baptiste, Marketing Director Claude Richli, Editor-at-Large Mark A. Finley, Senior Advisor E. Edward Zinke, Art Director Bryan Gray, Design Daniel
Añez, Desktop Technician Fred Wuerstlin, Ad Sales Glen Gohlke, Subscriber Services Steve Hanson. To Writers: Writer’s guidelines are available at the Adventist Review Web site: www.adventistreview.org
and click “About the Review.” For a printed copy, send a self-addressed envelope to: Writer’s Guidelines, Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600.
E-mail: revieweditor@gc.adventist.org. Web site: www.adventistreview.org. Postmaster: Send address changes to Adventist Review, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740-7301. Unless
otherwise noted, Bible texts in this issue are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Unless
otherwise noted, all photos are © Thinkstock 2013. The Adventist Review (ISSN 0161-1119), published since 1849, is the general paper of the Seventh-day Adventist ® Church. It is
published by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists ® and is printed 36 times a year on the second, third, and fourth Thursdays of each month by the Review and
Herald ® Publishing Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. Periodical postage paid at Hagerstown, MD 21740. Copyright © 2013, General Conference
of Seventh-day Adventists ® . PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Vol. 190, No. 31
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www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (995) 3
1888
inbox
Letters From Our Readers
10/40 Evangelism
»»
Thank you for calling the
attention of the world church
to the opportunities that
exist in the 10/40 window
(see Mark A. Kellner’s article
“Statistics Reveal Massive
Missions Challenge,” Oct. 24,
2013). God is sending visions
to many people in that
region, and performing
other miracles, preparing
people to receive the message,
if/when someone
invites them. Much more
could be accomplished if we
in the West would grasp
what He wants to
accomplish.
Evangelism is very costeffective
in some areas in the
10/40 window. . . . And dedicated
local pastors are ready
to preach the gospel if we
will support them.
David Ekkens
Muak Lek, Thailand
www.adventistreview.org
Head
subhead
WHAT HAppened?
And why should
you care
125 years later?
October 10, 2013
OctO ber 10, 2013
Vol. 190, No. 28
Thr e Ki led in Van Ro lover
e len White’s burden
hope and Peace
1888
»»
I commend the Adventist
Review for printing the October
10, 2013, special issue on
“1888.” This was the best
Review I’ve read in years. The
magazine usually contains
9
34
41
several good articles, but this
issue has a dozen or more
excellent articles that every
Adventist should read.
I can’t see how a loyal
Adventist can be without the
Review. I read each issue from
cover to cover. Keep up the
good work!
Carroll Brauer
Hendersonville, North
Carolina
»»
In regard to the coverage
about the 1888 General Conference
session, thank you
for again bringing this vital
happening to our attention.
The Adventist Book Center
should have the writings of
Jones and Waggoner on their
shelves. I also wonder: Why
haven’t our publishing
houses republished a book
by either author since about
1904?
I appreciated Bill and
Shawn Brace’s article “The
Theological Issues: Another
Perspective.”
Don Anderson
Port Moody, British
Columbia
Citizenship Test
»»
I was impressed by Bill
Knott’s editorial “Citizenship
Test” (Oct. 10). It highlighted
the fine line we have to walk
in upholding truth while
being Christlike. And the
truth is that we cannot walk
this line on our own. It is
through the presence of the
Holy Spirit in the heart that
we are enabled to stand for
truth and be peaceable.
Indeed, the two are not
mutually exclusive.
As I look at Jesus this fact
is very clear. Christ always
spoke the truth, clearly and
firmly, but never with an
argumentative spirit. As
Knott concludes, it is not
about winning. . . .
Truly, we are to uphold
each other, praying for each
other fervently, not willing
that any of us should stray or
be deceived. It is not always a
perfect understanding of
every truth at the same time
that determines those who
are the children of God. It is
the heart that is filled with
the love of Jesus, manifesting
His character and obeying
His commands that the Lord
recognizes. . . .
Thanks for calling our
attention to this topic.
Jessica Esochaghi
Loma Linda, California
Florida Church
Vehicle Accident
»»
I am writing in regard to
the article “Three Dead, 13
Injured in Florida Church
Vehicle Accident” (Oct. 10, p.
9). It may be that this already
is being done, but it would
be responsible to have this
tragic accident examined to
see if the cause can be determined,
and whether there is
a causal defect (such as in a
tire). If so, there may be
resources available to assist
the injured and the families
who have lost members.
William Blythe
Palo Alto, California
The God of the Gap
Clifford Goldstein’s “The
God of the Gap” (Sept. 19,
2013) is a good article.
My favorite atheistic “gap
filler” is the phrase “The
brain interprets,” as in
“The brain interprets the
electrochemical signal as
pain.” This brings me to the
Achilles heel of all atheistic
science: it is pain insensitive
at all levels of complexity.
The building blocks (the
chemical elements and electromagnetism)
are paininsensitive
in every known
sense of the word, and the
laws of assembly (the laws of
covalent and ionic bonding,
and electromagnetism, etc.)
do not produce pain sensitivity,
but rather cause spatial
and time variation,
changes in bonding energy,
bonding angle, entropy, boiling
point, etc.
The only evidence I have
that pain exists is experiential
and anecdotal.
I know that I experience
pain, and you tell me that
you do too—and I believe
you.
The impossibility of atheistic
pain agrees perfectly
with Genesis 2:7, that pain
cannot exist without the
supernatural breath of life. If
anyone expresses a concern
to you that God does not
exist, and that the atheists
are right, don’t give some
complicated argument, just
4 (996) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
tell them to pinch
themselves.
“Ouch! This is just too
good to be true! I can hardly
believe it! I had to pinch
myself!”
George Day
Frankfort, Kentucky
A Living Testimony
»»
I am writing in regard to
the Page 7 feature “A Living
Testimony” (Sept. 19). In
this article it is stated that
Sarah Davis is a testament
to the Seventh-day
Adventist lifestyle of abstinence
from meat, alcohol,
and cigarettes.
This statement is rather
misleading since it clearly
states in the photocopy of
the newspaper to the left
that she has been a vegetarian
for only five years, but
has abstained from pork,
alcohol, and cigarettes
throughout her life. That
being said, Davis did live 100
years of her life apparently
eating meat.
A person can live a healthy
lifestyle whether they eat a
balanced diet that includes
clean meats or they choose to
be a vegetarian. After all,
there is much more to living
a healthy lifestyle than just
diet.
Dawn Glass
Red Lake Falls, Minnesota
Tell ’Em About
the Dream
»»
Outstanding is the word
for Bill Knott’s editorial “Tell
’Em About the Dream.” God
uses those who are willing to
speak the truth, and King
was the right man at the
right place and the right
time.
We as a church have been
given a message—God’s
redemptive plan of love for
this world and His soon
return. Knott’s editorial is a
reminder “of our duty and
our privilege.”
Natalie Dodd
Centerville, Ohio
Forgiveness
»»
I thank God for the transforming
power of Roy Gane’s
article on forgiveness (June
27, 2013)! Another Scripture
with the same message is
Romans 3:23, 24: “All have
sinned and [all] fall short of
the glory of God, and all are
justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that
came by Christ Jesus.” (See
Rom. 5:18; 2 Cor. 5:19; 1 Tim.
4:9, 10.)
Ellen White writes about
the woman caught in adultery.
Jesus said, “ ‘Neither do
I condemn you; go and sin no
more [John 8:11].’ Her heart
was melted, and, casting herself
at the feet of Jesus, she
sobbed out her grateful love
and with bitter tears confessed
her sins” (The Ministry
of Healing, p. 89). Repentance
and confession followed
forgiveness.
Two Greek words translated
“forgive” are charizomai
(in Col. 2:13), a judicial pardon
as in corporate amnesty;
and aphiemi (in 1 John 1:9),
which means a separation
from or a taking away of sin
following repentance and
confession resulting in justification
by grace through
faith.
I recommend reading The
Message of the Latter Rain, by
Kelvin M. Duncan and Earl D.
Peters, 2012, printed by the
Review and Herald Publishing
Association.
Lloyd Knecht
Washougal, Washington
The God of the Gap
»»
If Clifford Goldstein is
“It is not always a perfect understanding of every
truth at the same time that determines those who are the
children of God. It is the heart that is filled with the love of
Jesus, manifesting His character and obeying His
commands that the Lord recognizes.
”
—jessica esochaghi, Loma Linda, California
going to be permitted to
write prose that few of us
can understand, such as the
tortured prose in “The God
of the Gap” (Sept. 19, 2013), I
believe the editors should
provide an interpretation at
the conclusion of each such
column, or return them to
Goldstein for a rewrite. Goldstein
is capable of writing
brilliant and insightful copy.
He should be held to just
that kind of standard.
Mike Jones
Gresham, Oregon
»»
Thank you for addressing
the topics of evolution and
atheism from time to time.
We should also be concerned
for the teaching of Darwinism
as fact in our colleges,
but something else can be
worse, namely, popular
social sciences—psychology
and psychiatry. . . . Psychology
is too closely related to
religion and character to be
seen as irrelevant to
Christians.
Maurice K. Butler, M.D.
Morrison, Tennessee
We welcome your letters, noting,
as always, that inclusion of a letter
in this section does not imply that
the ideas expressed are endorsed by
either the editors of the Adventist
Review or the General Conference.
Short, specific, timely letters have
the best chance at being published
(please include your complete
address and phone number—even
with e-mail messages). Letters will
be edited for space and clarity only.
Send correspondence to Letters to
the Editor, Adventist Review, 12501
Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD
20904-6600; Internet: letters@
adventistreview.org.
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (997) 5
Editorials
Lael
Caesar
Xenophobia and God
Sometimes, instead of contempt, familiarity breeds love.
Xenophobia is born of the absence of familiarity. It is the determination that whatever is unlike
what I know is a basis for discomfort. Whether rationally articulated or otherwise, it is the fear
of things or people based on their foreignness. Our protest against West African ackee or Southeast
Asian durian may simply be that we have never eaten either, which gives us no right to be
confident about them. We have more right to be uncertain, suspicious, afraid.
Naturally, we think the same way about God.
As Adam’s fallen children we are xenophobic about the Bible’s God. For the Bible’s God is surely
the most foreign of all foreignness to fallen humanity, utterly different from everything we naturally
conceive of and incline to. We are “covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient . . . ,
without natural affection, trucebreakers, . . . fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors,
heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:2-4, KJV). We invent
gods like ourselves: “Every culture has evolved its own mythology,” and the archetypes our gods
constitute “help to deepen our understanding of human psychology.” 1 We invent a promiscuous
Zeus, he of the many lovers both male and female—he is, after all, the head god; we create champion
Marduk splitting open the carcass of Tiamat, his great-great-grandmother, whom he has just
conquered—for it is the young who win in intergenerational struggle; our South Asian Kali, born
out of Durga’s head when she is angry, revels in carnage as much as does Near Eastern Astarte.
For isn’t carnage the stuff of our joy? “Beat ’em up,” “hack and slash,” “shoot ’em up [shmup]” are
three of the dozens of genres of games we play on screen today. The contention, jealousy, brutality,
and immorality of our ancient gods is the stuff of our modern prime-time newscasts and ESPN
entertainment, or simply the peace of our private dens. We pay money to relax by attacking people
on a screen. Grand Theft Auto V, a game of criminal activity (as its name suggests), raked in $1
billion in sales in its first three days of availability. 2
God, the God of Scripture, is too frighteningly different from these sordid preferences as life
and these gory appetites as fun. We would be more at ease turning Him into a brute who indiscriminately
slaughters Canaanite animals and children, instantaneously strikes down a man and
woman who were trying to support His church work, and consigns everyone who doesn’t do as
He says to the flames of eternal torment. Which may help explain why the ignorance expressed in
these distortions outbellows the documented truth of His caring, self-sacrificing, eternal love.
What then is a compassionate God to do?
God answers human xenophobia with the Incarnation, living in a tent “in the midst of His
people . . . He pitched His tent by the side of the tents of men, that He might dwell among us, and
make us familiar with His divine character and life.” 3 The God of all things became one of us. It
could have bred contempt. But no! He walked our streets and rode our donkeys, ate our food and
gave us His. He hugged our kids and our lepers. Contempt? Xenophobia? Not now that we’ve met
Him. We can trust Him—for life, and death, and whatever else there is. Love Him for always,
because He came and showed us who He is.
Now we know: Sometimes, instead of contempt, familiarity breeds love. n
1
Arthur Cotterell and Rachel Storm, The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology (Lorenz Books, 1999), p. 6.
2
www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/09/28/gta-5-sales-hit-1-billion.aspx, accessed Oct. 3, 2013.
3
Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1898), p. 23.
6 (998) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
Speaking Truth to Power
O God . . . we are helpless without Your power. Unless You
empower our lawmakers, they can see the ideal, but not reach it. They can know the right, but not do
it. They can comprehend their duty, but not perform it. They can seek the truth, but not fully find it.”*
During the recent U.S. government shutdown the media was filled with reports of raucous
debate, unbridled name-calling, and parliamentary maneuvering. For more than two weeks both
sides were dug in, holding entrenched positions.
But amid the rancor, grandstanding, and brinksmanship I was encouraged to know that there
were voices calling for calm, civil dialogue. Among those voices was Adventist pastor Barry C.
Black, who serves as U.S. Senate chaplain.
At the start of each Senate session Black opens the meeting with prayer, bringing a moral influence,
according to some commentators. Through his ministry he urged lawmakers to put politics
aside and do what’s best for the country. His ministry made such an impact that the story of his
prayers was featured in ABC News, MSNBC, the New York Times, Washington Times, and USA Today.
Black is uniquely positioned to bring a moral influence to Capitol Hill. Serving for the past 10
years as Senate chaplain, Black is often involved in weddings and funerals for senators and their
families. He also leads many of them in Bible study and provides counseling.
When asked about his ministry on Capitol Hill, Black simply says, “I’m trying to be a servant
of the Lord who, when necessary, is unafraid to speak truth to power.”
While God calls us to stand for truth in our own circles of influence, it’s especially exciting to
see an Adventist pastor answer the call in such a public way. n
* Barry C. Black, Prayer for the Senate, Congressional Record, Oct. 2, 2013, http://thomas.loc.
gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r113:502OC3-0001:/.
Carlos
Medley
The “RighT” Way.
Ministry published a column entitled Kindly
Correctives from 1928 through 1950. Each month articles would highlight something
for pastors to correct—pronounciation, spelling, posture, or phrasing. The idea was that a
pastor who could take criticism and correct his unfortunate habits would become a more effective
witness in the pulpit. It became one of the more widely read features. Below is just a sampling.
June 1928
a sampling of proper pronunciations:
• “Breth’ren (two syllables), not breth’e-ren.”
• “Of’ten, pronounced of’n, not of’ten
(the t is silent).”
• “Saith, pronounced in one syllable, as
if spelled like the name of one of the
sons of Adam: Seth; not say-eth. The
frequency of this error emphasizes the
need of great care.”
November 1943
Preparing a manuscript: “First
impressions are important. If you plan
to do much writing, it will be decidely
to your advantage to learn to type.”
Excerpts from Ministry, June 1928, p. 23; July
1929, p. 19; February 1934, p. 9; April 1939, p. 39;
November 1943, p. 21; February 1950, p. 16.
July 1929
Phrases to avoid:
• “The greatest single influence”
• “It is our firm conviction that”
• “I am here to say that”
• “We have the high honor”
• “A singular pleasure”
February 1934
Regarding loud, fast speaking:
“Surely it is unwise for us to adopt
extreme ways of presenting the truth
at any time. It is a mistaken idea that
loudness gives strength, or that a
frenzied, hurried presentation proves
more effective.”
april 1939
Distracting manners in the pulpit: “Speaking without moving; gripping
the lapels of the coat; too deliberate speech; dropping the voice at the end
of sentences until the words are almost inaudible; pounding the Bible or desk
(perhaps to keep the audience awake?); the use of the word ‘finally’ more than
once in a service . . . and the most objectionable—violent clearing of the throat.”
February 1950
Making a strong beginning. “How much better it would have been if the
minister in question had stepped to the pulpit in an energetic manner, and in a
voice full of life and strong enough to be heard in the back row combined his
manner, his voice, and his first 25 words to make his audience feel that they were
going to hear something that would be useful to them the rest of their lives!”
World News & Perspectives
photo: Ansel Oliver/Adventist News Network
MORNING MESSAGE: Adventist Church president Ted N. C. Wilson delivers the Sabbath sermon at Annual Council, October 12, 2013, at
the Adventist Church’s world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.
■■WORLD CHURCH
Consistent, Expressive
Faith Called for in Annual
Council Messages
1888 message recalled; Wilson
emphasizes communication of gospel
By MARK A. KELLNER, news editor
One hundred twenty-five years after
the Seventh-day Adventist Church began
its focus on righteousness by faith,
global leaders of the 17-million-member
movement gathered to hear calls for consistent,
expressive faith in the merits of
Jesus.
The weekend commenced October 11,
2013, with an evening program that celebrated
the 1888 General Conference
session and its focus on Christ’s
righteousness.
“Jesus has become my sufficiency,”
declared Ganoune Diop, an Adventist
theologian and scholar who serves as
the church’s liaison to the United
Nations. Raised in Senegal, West Africa,
Diop contrasted the faith of his childhood
with his adult Christian belief in a
Lord who died to redeem broken and
sinful humanity.
Shawn Brace, a young adult pastor
from Maine, gave a brief but powerful
testimony of being raised in an
Adventist home where his parents consistently
focused on the righteousness
of Christ. “When we fall in love with
Jesus, obedience becomes a delight,”
Brace said.
Artur Stele, a general vice president of
the church and director of its Biblical
Research Institute, focused on the Old
Testament narrative of Mephibosheth,
the son of King David’s friend Jonathan,
to draw parallels with the mercy and
grace extended to broken human beings
through Jesus.
Lael Caesar, an associate editor of
Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines,
used the Luke 17 story of Jesus
healing 10 lepers to underline that it is
God who does the work of salvation and
healing in human lives: “What did these
guys do to cleanse themselves? ‘As they
went along, they were cleansed.’
Remember the lepers and let go of the
burden and anxiety and stress. Take
Jesus at His word: ‘As they went, they
were cleansed.’ ”
The balance of the Friday evening
meeting was devoted to reports of evangelism
from the eastern United States
and the NY13 effort covering New York
City and neighboring areas in New Jersey
and Connecticut. Church leaders
reported a total of nearly 4,100 bap-
8 (1000) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
tisms and 31 new congregations established
as results of the yearlong
campaign.
On Sabbath morning, October 12, the
church leaders and delegates turned to
worship, prayer, and reflection. Speaking
to a capacity crowd of more than 450
in the General Conference auditorium,
General Conference president Ted N. C.
Wilson emphasized a call to “communicate
God’s truth in love and illuminate
the earth with God’s glory.” He noted
the pressures of the age that tempt
Christians to abandon Bible teaching.
“There are those in the church and
outside the church who wish to change
the very beliefs we have held sacred and
change the character of the Seventh-day
PHOTO: Edwin Manuel Garcia/Adventist News Network
SONG LEADERS: J. Alfred Johnson, North American Division Personal Ministries director,
and his wife, Paula, lead singing of the closing hymn, “Seeking the Lost,” at Annual Council
on Sabbath, October 12.
different message than we intend by
how we personally use the Internet, by
what we watch on television, by what
we wear, by how we use our time, by
what kind of music we listen to, or by
our worship style?”
Wilson appealed to members and
leaders to adopt thoughtful, reflective
elements in worship: “Recognizing
the world is full of various cultures,
let’s worship in simplicity and in
truth, using the Word of God and
aligning ourselves with the culture of
heaven.”
As members and leaders of the world
church paired off two by two for prayer,
Wilson challenged his hearers to rededicate
themselves to Christian service
and proclamation: “As we come to the
end of time, realizing the devil is making
every effort to confuse our message
and mission, let us rest firmly on God’s
Word and promises to make us truly
His messengers.” n
photo: Ansel Oliver/Adventist News Network
ready for translation: A language
interpreter assists Annual Council delegates
who are listening to him on earphones
in the Adventist world church
headquarters auditorium.
Adventist Church itself—people who
want to turn the grace of God into
something vile, thus denying Jesus
Himself, even though they pretend to
lift up His name,” Wilson warned. “As
we communicate truth to those who do
not know Christ, we must guard against
the world entering the church, [and]
neutralizing its mission.”
Wilson also urged Adventists to
examine the integrity of their witness:
“Are we communicating to the world a
■■WORLD CHURCH
Adventist Church Web Site
Redesign Unveiled
Leaders hope unified look will strengthen brand
By Edwin Manuel Garcia, Adventist News Network
The Seventh-day Adventist Church
unveiled a major redesign to its Web
site October 16, and urged regional
leaders to make similar upgrades to
ensure the church has a more consistent
global online identity.
The content of the site has also
shifted to address a new audience: The
non-Adventist public, as distinct from
church members.
Adventist.org contains most of the
same information as before, but it’s
now presented in a more modern,
graphically oriented look, and is accessible
in four languages: English, Spanish,
Portuguese, and French.
“What begins as a relationship with a
Web site can lead to a relationship with
a brand; the research tells us this,” Garrett
Caldwell, the General Conference of
Seventh-day Adventists’ associate Communication
Department director for
public relations, told Executive Committee
members of the 2013 General Conference
Annual Council in Silver Spring,
Maryland.
“And if people can get to the point
where they can trust a brand,” Caldwell
added, “then they will want to know the
product, and the product of the Seventhday
Adventist Church is every life that
has been transformed by the message
that we’ve been given and the God we
serve.”
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1001) 9
World News & Perspectives
The redesign is the
most significant
update since 2004, said
John Beckett, director
of the Adventist
Church’s Office of
Global Software and
Internet.
General Conference
leaders are offering the
new design to every
denominational organization
through the
free tools and templates
available at
Ansel Oliver/Adventist News Network
NEW LOOK: Garrett Caldwell of the Adventist world church’s Communication Department unveils the
redesigned Adventist.org to Annual Council delegates.
10 (1002) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
framework.adventist.org.
Planning for the redesign began more
than a year ago in collaboration with
the Inter-European Division and its
development team at the Stimme der
Hoffnung (Voice of Hope) Media Center
in Germany, whose Web experts had
updated the division’s Web site and
offered to collaborate with the General
Conference’s own upgrade.
Some 100,000 people each month
perform Web searches using the
English-language phrase “Seventh-day
Adventist,” Caldwell said, suggesting
that catering the site to the public can
serve as a vehicle for evangelism.
Users of the redesigned site will open
the main page and find personal testimonies
of Adventists, along with photos
or videos of their stories. The same
top portion also includes a section
titled “Our Beliefs,” which includes a
link to the church’s 28 fundamental
beliefs in a PDF document for easy
printing.
The redesign, which now has larger
fonts and more white space, also
includes three standing features: spirituality,
vitality, and service.
Under spirituality, one can learn
about the Sabbath, download Bible
study guides, read about prayer, and
find out more about prophecy. The
vitality section offers information
on family life, health, and education.
The service component displays
details on missionaries, humanitarian
work, and religious liberty.
“Rather than communicating the
structure of our church, we’re trying to
communicate the impact that our ministries
can have on your life,” Caldwell
said. “We want people to know that
Seventh-day Adventists are committed
to making the world a better place.” n
■■NORTH AMERICA
Southeastern California
Constituency Votes Sandra
Roberts Conference President
Move contravenes General Conference policy.
BY ADVENTIST REVIEW staff
Delegates to the October 27, 2013,
constituency session of the Southeastern
California Conference (SECC) of Seventhday
Adventist elected Sandra Roberts as
president.
Delegates also elected five other key
administrators. These included Jonathan
Park, executive secretary; Verlon
Strauss, treasurer; Elizer Sacay, vice
president for Asian/Pacific ministries;
George King, vice president for Black
ministries; and Alberto Ingleton, vice
president for Hispanic ministries.
Ricardo Graham, president of the
Pacific Union Conference, reminded delegates
that the General Conference does
not endorse women’s ordination, and he
passed on a message from Ted N. C. Wilson,
president of the Seventh-day
Adventist world church, stating the election
of a woman as president would not
be recognized by the General Conference.
But Graham continued by stating that
because delegates to the Pacific Union
special session voted in 2012 to authorize
the ordination of women, the recommendation
of the SECC nominating
committee is in harmony with conference
and union bylaws and policies.
For one of the session reports, Rudy
Carrillo, youth ministries director,
introduced Carmen Ibanez, director of
Pine Springs Ranch. They presented the
Pines Springs Ranch report with
images of the damage caused by fire
earlier this year, as well as a plan to
rebuild the camp. Delegates approved a
spending request to begin the rebuilding
process. n
—with information from Enno Müller,
interim communication director, Southeastern
California Conference.
News Continued on page 12 »
Moving Forward Together
A RESPONSE FROM THE GENERAL CONFERENCE TO RECENT ACTIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been called by God as an urgent, end-time voice proclaiming God’s love and last
day message to the world. He has commissioned us to proclaim the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6-12 to
people worldwide desperately looking for hope. The message and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is
unique and is heaven-sent. Our top priority as a church is knowing Jesus ourselves and sharing His message of
redemption. Nothing is to stand in the way of this proclamation as we unite to reach every “nation, and kindred, and
tongue, and people” with the “everlasting gospel” (KJV).
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a fellowship of believers bound together by a common commitment to Christ, the
truths of the Bible, a worldwide church organization and a mission to the world. Each of these elements is vitally
important in preserving the unity of the church and keeping it from fracturing. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is not
organized as a collection of independent units. Although each Conference/Mission, Union and the General Conference
(which includes the divisions) have their own constituencies, they are also united by common commitments, mutual
trust and agreed upon policies. The Church, the body of Christ, is inter-related. Actions that affect one part of the body
affect the whole. The Apostle Paul stated it succinctly in these words, “For as the body is one and has many members,
but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ”(1 Corinthians 12:12, NKJV)*.
Working Policy, which is the recording of our agreements as to how we will work together to do the Lord’s work and
mission, serves as one of the practical unifying agents that the Holy Spirit uses to bind the church together. Policy is not
inflexible. It can be changed but it reflects the understanding of the collective group, under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit. When personal convictions are placed ahead of the collective policy decisions of the worldwide church, troubling
precedents are set. God works in an orderly way and wishes His church to exemplify this sanctified behavior through the
power of the Holy Spirit. Humility and submission to God for the good of the church body as outlined in the Word of
God and the Spirit of Prophecy are fundamental Biblical principles for the benefit of the church.
At the 2012 Annual Council in a voted action entitled, “Statement on Church Polity, Procedures, and Resolution of
Disagreements in the Light of Recent Union Actions on Ministerial Ordination,” the world church strongly indicated that
it does not recognize as ordained ministers individuals who do not meet the criteria outlined in policy. It deeply
concerns the world leadership of the church that recently a local conference constituency elected as a conference
president an individual who is not recognized by the world church as an ordained minister. Ordination to the ministry is
one of the criteria set forth for being a conference president. General Conference administration is working with the
North American Division administration as they deal with the implications of this local conference action, which is
contrary to the 2012 Annual Council action.
The world church is currently working together in a Theology of Ordination Study Committee with participation by all
divisions to better understand the functions of ordination as well as the role of women in relation to ordination to the
gospel ministry. A careful process is functioning and reports will be given to the 2014 Annual Council with the expectation
that this subject will go to the 2015 General Conference Session for a decision under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We have every confidence in the Lord’s leading of His precious remnant church. By God’s grace and through the Holy
Spirit’s guidance, the church will find its way through this challenging time as we move forward with the unique
message and mission entrusted to the Seventh-day Adventist movement. It is God’s plan that we proclaim His end-time,
prophetic truth to every corner of the globe and especially the enormous metropolitan centers of the world through
“Mission to the Cities” utilizing every form of comprehensive urban evangelism including comprehensive health
ministry and many other methods. We urge all church members and leaders to pray that the Holy Spirit will unite us to
fulfill Christ’s promise that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations and
then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14, NKJV). United in Christ’s love, bound together in a common Biblical message,
linked through a common church organization and committed to one another with mutual respect and trust through
the power of the Holy Spirit, we are confident this church will triumph at last and proclaim Christ’s eternal message of
truth to the ends of the earth in anticipation of Jesus’ soon second coming.
* Texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
—The General Conference Executive Officers
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1003) 11
World News & Perspectives
» News Continued from page 10
■■WORLD CHURCH
Management
Expert Exhorts
Adventist
Leaders to
Encourage
Innovation
GC’s LEAD sessions
feature business expert
By MARK A. KELLNER, news
editor, with ANSEL OLIVER,
Adventist News Network
One of Silicon Valley’s brightest minds
challenged 400 world leaders of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church to create a climate
of innovation at every level of the
movement.
“I think aspiration is the best insurance
against irrelevance,” management
thinker Gary Hamel declared in a keynote
address to the Leadership Education
and Development (LEAD) training
program, which preceded the October
11 opening of the General Conference of
Seventh-day Adventists’ Annual Council.
“No organization ever outperforms
its own aspirations.”
Hamel, cited by the Wall Street Journal
in 2008 as the world’s most influential
business thinker, encouraged leaders to
be aware of changing climates in their
constituencies. Overall, he said, society
is changing the way it views and interacts
with institutions such as the
church, sometimes rendering those
institutions less effective: “Every successful
organization is successful until
it’s not,” adding, “as human beings, we
are all susceptible to denial.”
The LEAD program is part of an effort
to introduce Seventh-day Adventist
Church decision-makers worldwide to
current innovations and best practices
in leadership.
Hamel is a founder of Strategos, an
international management consulting
firm. His books include What Matters
PHOTO: Ansel Oliver/Adventist News Network
BUSINESS THINKER: Management consultant Gary Hamel speaks to Adventist Church
leaders during Annual Council at the denomination’s world headquarters in Silver Spring,
Maryland, on Friday, October 11. Hamel has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal
and Fortune magazine as one of the world’s most influential management experts. He is
the author of many books, including What Matters Now.
Now, a guide to building organizations
that thrive amid uncertainty and shifting
priorities. He urged Adventist leaders
to facilitate experimentation and
change within the organization’s ranks:
“The pace for change is ultimately the
question of how much experimentation
is going on inside that organization,”
Hamel said. “The job of every leader is
to make sure that change always seems
more exciting than standing back.”
Hamel reminded his audience that
while divinely given truths are eternal,
the structures of organizations to communicate
those truths can and should
adapt to the times: “We don’t worship
tradition; we worship a risen Lord,” he
said.
Drawing from his consulting experience
at the epicenter of America’s high
technology industry, the famed “Silicon
Valley” area between San José and San
Francisco, California, he noted that
Google strives to have 5,000 experiments
aimed at improving the firm’s
computer search technology every year,
with the expectation that a significant
number will yield results for the firm.
“Basically every large corporation has
an innovation lab in the Silicon Valley,
he said. “Maybe the [Seventh-day
Adventist] Church needs an innovation
lab, too.”
Hamel said that while the church is
committed to redemption, renewal, and
reconciliation, there are times that
established programs, policies, or practices
obscure the core message.
“The only way you would really know
you are committed is if you were willing
to sacrifice some of those habits, some
of those structures, to those commitments,”
he said.
G. T. Ng, executive secretary of the
General Conference, said Hamel’s earlier
presentations to the Secretariat
sparked the invitation to address the
leadership at this year’s Annual Council.
Ng said the church can learn much from
Hamel’s message.
“The church at different levels could
do more to overcome the inertia to
change in terms of methodologies, to
maximize the use of technology, to keep
pace with a fast-changing world,” Ng
said. “We probably could do better in
empowering the rank and file for mission
by removing or reducing red tape.
In [Secretariat] we have already taken
steps in that direction. The South Pacific
Division’s example of downsizing in
order to allocate more money for mission
is a good example.” n
12 (1004) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
did you know
Adventists hold 28 fundamental beliefs
that can be organized into six doctrines:
the doctrines of God, man, salvation, the
church, the Christian life, and last things. In
each teaching, God is the architect, who in
wisdom, grace, and infinite love is restoring
a relationship with humanity that will last
for eternity. To find out more, and to share
with others, visit the Adventist Church’s
revamped Web site at www.adventist.org/
beliefs.
share with us
We are looking for brief submissions in
these categories:
Sound Bites (quotes, profound or
spontaneous)
Adventist Life (short anecdotes, especially
from the world of adults)
Camp Meeting Memories (150 words
or less)
Jots and Tittles (church-related tips)
Please send your submissions to Give &
Take, Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia
Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600; fax: 301-
680-6638; e-mail: marank@gc.adventist.
org. Please include phone number, and city
and state from which you are writing.
Sound Bite
“There is no place
safe except where
God sends you.”
—Homer Trecartin, during
morning worship at the General
Conference, October 9, 2013,.
church bulletin
adventist life
I had a little conversation with our son Camden
about bedtime one evening. He said that we shouldn’t
sing songs (what we usually do for bedtime worship),
but just go straight into bedtime stories, because
“Mommy has a headache.”
I said to him, “You just don’t want to sing songs, do
you?” Camden admitted this was the case because
singing takes too long and he wanted to go right into
the stories--the best part.
So I asked him, “Why? Worship is great. Jesus is the
best part of the day.”
To which he replied, “I hear you, friend.” Funny kid—
even if he is trying to work the system.
—Shawn Brace, Bangor, Maine
The Campus Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loma Linda, California, has a unique
way of announcing sunset times in their bulletin. One of their church members submitted a
bulletin from this past summer with the announcement worded this way:
“The blessings of the Sabbath draw to a close at 8:02 p.m. and resume
next Friday at 8:03 p.m.”
© terry crews
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1005) 13
Searching the Obvious
Know-and-Tell
I enter a small auditorium inside the Christian school and academy.
The usher hands me a program and walks me to a seat at the very top with a sign that reads RESERVED. The
usher smiles and says: “Ella asked me to seat you here, the best seat in the house.” I glance at the program.
Then I take a second look at the title of the play I came to see. Is that a typo?
* * *
I kneel down in front of Bret and hold the dictionary in my hands. Will it be too heavy for him? His small
hands take the book with wide eyes and a beautiful smile. He can handle it. Ella and Bret have come by to
drop off an invitation. In two weeks Bret’s second-grade class will host family night at his school. Ella,
who teaches the second-grade class, is insistent that I not miss the event. I wouldn’t miss it for the
world. Ella used to be my student.
* * *
As the stage is prepared, I look around. I see people demonstrating support for teachers
and students. I glance at the program again and read the title of Ella’s play: Know-and-Tell.
Shouldn’t it be Show-and-Tell? The lights dim. The stage has only a microphone and two
screens with a picture of Ella’s students holding signs that read: Know-and-Tell.
It’s not a typo.
From behind the curtain a little girl in a pink dress walks toward the microphone. The
auditorium is silent. In a little voice she says: “I am grateful for my grandpa” (the screen brings
up a picture of the girl with her grandpa). “My grandpa is a veteran; he loves to sing and plays
the piano. He sings with me. He is teaching me to play the piano. Thank you very much.” The
little girl takes a bow, and the audience applauds.
One by one the children come forward. Only kind words are said.
“My mother is very loving to me. We have Sunday cookie day, when we make cookies for our
neighbors, and my friends come over and we help mom and have juice. I love her and want to be
like her.”
I sit and watch as tissues emerge from purses, and handkerchiefs wipe away tears. These are memorized
words. They are only kind words.
Then I see a picture of Bret and me, sitting in his backyard. Bret approaches the microphone. “I appreciate
my friend Dixil. I like that she reads to me and it doesn’t matter it’s always the same book. She gave me a
grown-up book, a dictionary, because I told her I liked it. I learn a new word each day. Today I learned ‘appreciate,’
but I really love her. I am still in the a’s.”
The audience laughs and applauds as I reach into my purse for a tissue.
For the finale, the second grade stands holding a banner that says: Know-and-Tell. On the screens appear
the words: “What would happen if we only spoke of others with kind words? What if mistakes, bad decisions,
or poor choices were not relevant in our conversations of others?”
The auditorium is silent. I look around and see people reaching for one another’s hands, heads leaning
on shoulders. Others stare blankly at their hands, maybe contemplating reckless words they have said. I am
in the best seat. Ella knew the obvious would be seen from this seat. We all came to support teachers and children, when in
reality we came to learn, to be reminded.
As I sit in the auditorium watching everyone exit to the reception, I begin to wonder. Know-and-Tell. It’s
an interesting concept, but it’s not quite developed yet. To speak well of others all the time . . . ironically, we
would have to rethink several things: compassion; loving our sisters and brothers unconditionally; treating
others as we would like to be treated ourselves; not speaking ill of others; mission; holding someone when
their heart is broken in two—without judgment. We would have to follow the example of Jesus.
But we know this.
The Holy Spirit simply whispers to help us show it. n
Dixil
Rodríquez
Dixil Rodríguez, a college professor and volunteer hospital chaplain, lives in Texas.
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1007) 15
By Scott Griswold
I
Cover
grew up in a mostly White California
town, speaking only English. I
never considered learning Spanish
to talk with migrant workers. I
never visited the Buddhist temple
on the edge of town or had even a passing
thought that Buddhists were my
mission field.
But God had His surprises waiting. I
ended up spending 16 years in Southeast
Asia, sharing the gospel in Khmer
and Thai. I am extremely thankful that I
discovered a world that had not yet met
Jesus. There is no joy like sharing with
those who have never heard. Now that I
have returned to North America, my
eyes are open to the mission field next
door.
Have you felt the tug of Jesus’ great
commission? There are about 3 billion
unreached people in almost 7,300 distinctly
different people groups who
don’t have a vibrant, multiplying Christian
witness among them. 1 How is that
final sign of Jesus’ soon return ever
going to be accomplished (Matt. 24:14)?
Just Around the Corner
God has His strategy. In the early
church He brought “devout men from
every nation” (Acts 2:5, NASB) 2 to Jerusalem,
then poured out His Spirit, and
the gospel was preached to each. In
these last days He is doing it again in
cities all over the world. God has
brought refugees, immigrants, and
international students “to our very
doors and thrust them, as it were, into
our arms, that they might learn the
truth, and be qualified to do a work we
could not do in getting the light before
men of other tongues.” Migration is
definitely “a divinely appointed means
of rapidly extending the third angel’s
message into all the nations of earth.” 3
For example, people from at least 20
of the 100 most unreached people
groups in the world have moved to live
in the United States. 4 When I worked for
the Center for East Asian Religions in
Reach
Thailand, I often prayed for the tiny
country of Bhutan, near India. Almost
no Christians live in this mountainous
country that isolated itself for years. It
is expensive to visit and dangerous to
share the gospel there.
One day I flew to the United States for
meetings at the General Conference
building near Washington, D.C. I
stopped by Target to pick up some treats
to take back to my family. To my surprise,
I saw a large man with a shaved
head and an orange robe. I had to find
out where he was from. I was delighted
to hear him say, “Bhutan!” Later I found
out his was not an isolated case. As of
December 2012, 63,400 refugees from
Bhutan have been resettled in the United
States; 5,296 in Canada; 3,837 in Australia;
and 724 in Denmark. 5
The mission field has come to us. A
problem remains, though. We think a
missionary is somebody who goes to
Africa or China, and that somebody is
certainly not us! Who are these
missionaries, anyway?
I saw the answer back in
Thailand at a crowded
theWorldNext
Door
16
(1008) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
It’s adventurous
—and it’s God’s plan.
evangelistic meeting. There was an English-speaking
preacher with a Chinese-
Thai translator cooperating with the
Indian landlord and some Filipino volunteers.
What caught my eye most was
the huge smile on the face of a refugee
from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It was the love of Jesus in him that had
bound six cultures together to plant a
church among Thai Buddhists.
That special multicultural event gave
me a taste of God’s Pentecost missionary
plan: Spirit-filled everybody from everywhere
reaching everyone until the coming of Jesus.
Everybody means you and me, every
disciple of Christ, not just the pastor or
the overseas missionary. From everywhere
means missionaries from Kenya, Mexico,
and China, not just North America.
Reaching everyone means watching with
missionary eyes for Bhutanese refugees,
Saudi international students, Cambodian
migrant workers, and anyone else
who crosses your path—right next
door! Spirit-filled is the only way this can
happen, because our hearts are selfish,
and we like to be with our own people.
Until the coming of Jesus--because this is
why Christ’s return waits.
Just as in Jerusalem on Pentecost,
God has now brought people from
almost every nation to our big cities
around the world. It is His plan that the
Holy Spirit will move through us in
such a way that each of these ethnic
groups will understand the gospel in
their unique context. That is part of the
“tongues of fire” we must be asking for
when we pray for revival.
I never realized quite how good our
good news is until I started sharing it
cross-culturally. The Seventh-day
Adventist Church is uniquely placed with
a very special message for people of other
religions. When the gospel transforms us,
our doctrines are lived from the heart,
and people see in us their highest values.
Muslims are pleasantly surprised when
they learn that our surrender to the one
true God includes not eating pork or
drinking alcohol. Jews see us valuing
“their” Sabbath, celebrating family and
our amazing Creator God. Spiritually
minded, vegetarian Hindus respect our
wholistic message that ties physical, mental,
and spiritual health into an integrated
package. Buddhists find a close
connection between their emphasis on
right living in view of the impermanence
of all things and our call to holy living in
light of the end of the world.
Beyond our similarities with world
religions, the everlasting gospel is perfectly
matched to what the other religions
do not have. My 6-year-old son
and I were making friends with a Buddhist
monk on a train ride in Thailand.
His head was shaved, and he wore the
simple orange robe, showing his dedication
to the many precepts of his religion.
He asked me, “How can Christians just
sin, sin, and keep on sinning, boasting in
the fact that they are forgiven?” His view
of a supposedly Christian, but decadent,
immoral West, had him confused.
I told him the story of Jesus’ sacrifice
and compassion at the cross. I shared
that Jesus died because He took our
selfishness onto Him, so He could both
forgive and free us from sin, which
causes us suffering. My son told him
about God’s power to change his own
naughty heart into a clean one. I
watched the monk’s face light up with
interest as he caught a view that the
purity and freedom he was working so
hard to obtain could be possible
through the gift of God. How excitedly
we can share this amazing gospel!
Are you eager to do more than you
have done? Here are some simple things
I have found effective for reaching the
world next door.
Watch and Pray
I like to watch for cross-cultural
opportunities wherever I go, praying for
divine appointments like the one Philip
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1009) 17
had with the Ethiopian in Acts 8. “What
language were you speaking to your
friend?” I ask the Indian gas station
attendant. Then I follow it with “So how
do you say ‘thank you’ in Punjabi?” Or I
might ask the Cambodian doughtnut
maker who has an obvious accent,
“How long have you lived in America?”
“What do you miss about your country?”
Conversations about their culture
and values are bridges to friendship.
Then I keep watching and praying to
know their needs and find opportunities
to share something that points to
our great God.
Give Real Care
Newly arrived refugees have great
needs and a huge adjustment to their
new country. A church in San Diego, California,
provides day-old donated food
to various families from Bhutan. A
school in Rockford, Illinois, sacrifices to
provide Christian schooling to refugee
children from Myanmar and the Democratic
Republic of Congo. A couple in
Wisconsin allows many Hmong families
to grow gardens on their property.
You also can help in such tangible ways.
Befriend International
Students
It’s amazing to think that many of the
world’s future leaders are studying at
the universities in our own towns and
cities. The king of Bahrain, Sheikh
Hamed bin Isa
Al Khalifa,
went to college
in Kansas.
Annette Lu,
vice president
of Taiwan, studied
in Illinois
and Massachusetts.
Just think
what you might do
for the world by
befriending an international
student! It can be as
simple as volunteering at a university
to practice English with a
student for an hour a week. Ron and
Cathy Bush went a big step further and
hosted a Japanese exchange student in
their home for a school year. He became
a Christian and now serves as a pastor in
California.
Relay Resources
Recently I met a literature evangelist
who said, “I felt so bad when the Vietnamese
woman shook her head indicating
she couldn’t read my books. I wanted
something to give her in her own language.
I just had to walk away.” To fix
that problem, we’ve collected Seventhday
Adventist pamphlets, sermons, videos,
Bible studies, and more in many
languages. Now it’s as easy as the click of
a smartphone or your computer. 6 Think
how their eyes will light up when you
Ready to Go?
Here Are the Tools
Prepare yourself for cross-cultural mission action right in
your neighborhood. Reach the World Next Door is just off the
press. Video presentations, small-group interaction, and out-inthe-community
activities will build your confidence to make international
friends, tangibly help refugees, share the gospel with people of other world
religions, and even partner to begin new ethnic churches right where you are. Produced
through a partnership between ASAP Ministries and the North American Division,
this material can be ordered at www.reachtheworldnextdoor.com.
hand them a downloaded pamphlet in
their own tongue or sit and watch the
“Jesus Movie” in their language with
them.
Learn Their Beliefs
You may not feel confident to talk with
someone of another religion. Perhaps
you are afraid you will make a mistake,
embarrassing yourself and God’s cause.
Don’t worry! God can do it through you.
You can learn and grow in confidence by
asking them questions about what their
religion teaches and what values matter
to them. Beyond this, the Seventh-day
Adventist Church has six Global Mission
centers that are constantly working on
developing training manuals and Bible
studies especially geared for these different
religions. 7
Share an Experience
I don’t like getting into a debate with
anyone, but I do want to share my faith. I
have found the best way to do it is by telling
stories. I introduce my God by telling
stories of how He has protected me, or
healed a friend, or set a drug addict free. I
deal with deceptions about ghosts and
reincarnation by telling the great controversy
story of Satan’s attack on God in a
way that highlights in the lies—and the
truths—of these subjects.
Some things are best experienced. I
18 (1010) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
Christ’s Method Alone
BY JIM AYER
Christ’s method of mingling with those we may not know
or even understand worked for two men living in North Carolina
who were willing to leave their personal comfort zone.
Nearly two years ago God laid a burden upon the hearts of
Fabian Reid and Brian Jobe when they realized that a large
group of refugees from Nepal were living in North Carolina, near
their homes. Asking for guidance from the Holy Spirit, they
started visiting the homes of the refugees, offering help. Neither
Fabian nor Brian spoke a word of the Nepali language, but this
didn’t hinder their desire for service.
They offered the Nigerian immigrants rides to the Asian market—30
minutes travel time in one direction. They drove them to
a Laundromat and helped them complete government paperwork.
They took them to the doctor, and for those who were
able to obtain a job—with their help—they took them to work.
They even taught them how to drive using their own personal
cars: talk about “ministering to their needs”!
Word traveled throughout the refugee community: “If you
need any kind of help, call the Christians.” The list of requests
grew exponentially. Demand was so great that soon other
church members helped meet the needs of the refugee community.
These volunteers became their only lifeline in America.
Since most of the refugees were illiterate, the only communication
between the two people groups were smiles, sign language,
and an occasional English word. Fabian searched the
Internet in hopes of obtaining a greater understanding of Nepalese
culture. God led him to Adventist World Radio (AWR), where
he discovered hundreds of Nepali sermons. He excitedly downloaded
many of them and, with player in hand, headed to the
home of one of his Nepali friends. He started the sermon and
waited. The listeners seemed to enjoy the message.
This encouraged the other team members, who immediately
began playing sermons in their cars while shuttling people
back and forth across the city. Two years later, involving
many joys and heartaches, 60 people are attending a new
Nepali church fellowship every Sabbath—and the numbers
are growing!
If you need evangelistic material in other languages, make
use of AWR’s vast library of podcasts in hundreds of languages
(www.awr.org/en/listen/podcasts). You may not understand
everything, but you surely can press the “play” button and make
somebody feel at home. n
Jim Ayer is vice president for advancement at AWR.
find I can best share the Sabbath with
non-Christians by inviting them to join
my family for an afternoon exploring
nature and learning moral lessons. This
leads to talking about the Designer and
Great Teacher behind it all. I also find that
people don’t refuse my offer to pray for
them. God moves through such
experiences.
Do It Together
Many of us are overly busy with our
own families, jobs, and churches. How
can we possibly add cross-cultural mission
work too? The best way is to do these
special new activities for internationals
with our family and church members. We
must redirect our time to the unreached,
but we must not do it alone. There is such
benefit in this for our families. I have
thoroughly enjoyed working with my
wife and our four children to hold English
camps and visit people of other cultures.
Together we hosted an ethnic
church plant in our home. The involve-
ment has helped my children grow and
mature. Recently I led a Bible study with a
Mien father in California while my
daughter and son kept his noisy children
happily occupied.
It’s going to be difficult for us to stay
focused on finishing this Great Commission.
There is so much to distract us. We
have to daily connect with our Missionary
God who is like a parent.
Think about what He feels right now
in relation to all these unreached people.
A mother is not going to stop dishing
out food until every child has something
on the plate. A father is not going to stop
running back into his burning house
until every child is out. God looks at us
who know Him. He sees right beside us
those who have never had a chance. They
can’t hear because of their language or
religious background. They don’t know
their Father. He will miss them for eternity
if they are not there!
So now He moves on our hearts,
changing us, inspiring us, flowing
through us to care for those of other
cultures. n
1
http://joshuaproject.net/great-commissionstatistics.php.
2
Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the
New American Standard Bible, copyright © 1960, 1962,
1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The
Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
3
Ellen G. White, Evangelism (Washington, D.C.:
Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1946), p. 570.
4
For more details, see joshuaproject.net.
5
Shreedeep Rayamajhi, “75,000 Bhutanese Refugees
Resettled,” Ground Report (2012). http://groundreport.
com/75000-bhutanese-refugees-resettled/.
6
Visit www.mylanguagemylife.com and also www.
awr.org/en/listen/podcasts. More creative and practical
ideas about reaching out cross-culturally can be
found in www.reachtheworldnextdoor.com.
7
Learn more about the study centers at www.
adventistmission.org/32-study-centers.
Scott Griswold, His wife,
and four children were
missionaries in Southeast Asia
for 16 years. He is currently
associate director for
ADVENTIST SOUTHEAST ASIA PROJECTS [ASAP]
Ministries and can be reached at scott.
griswold@asapministries.org.
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1011) 19
Adventist Life
My Lungs
Expand With
His Praise
McClean: When was the first time
you recognized that something was
wrong with your lungs?
Clarke: I didn’t exhibit symptoms of
lung issues at first. When I was a child, I
had severe muscle cramps in my legs and
arms. In my late teens and early 20s investigation
[as to the cause] was started
because of my constant abnormal blood
work and continuous muscle cramps.
Interview with
an organ recipient
I
“
bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. I live and
breathe God; if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy: Join me in
spreading the news; together let’s get the word out” (Ps. 34:1-3, Message). 1
This passage has become Ilyn Clarke’s favorite—and for good reason. On February
7, 2013, she celebrated six years as a double-lung transplant recipient. Hers is
an amazing story of faith in a God who has allowed her the incredible opportunity
to breathe and move again without pain.
To mark this anniversary of her “new” life, Clarke—currently a registered nurse
at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada—agreed to share
her story with Maria McClean, director of health and children’s ministries for the
Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and health coordinator for the Seventh-day
Adventist Church in Canada. Clarke’s prayer is that God will use her
experience to testify of His faithfulness to His children.—Editors.
What tests did you undergo, and
what was the initial diagnosis?
Testing at this stage was focused on
what was causing the muscle cramps and
elevated muscle enzymes. Eventually, I had
a muscle biopsy done and was diagnosed
with malignant hyperthermia (MH).
What treatments were you given, and
how effective were they?
I was given dantrolene tablets for the
muscle cramps. I took the pills, but
stopped after a week because they made
my muscles relax so much that I could
hardly walk. Later, I developed Raynaud’s
syndrome, a condition that affects circulation.
I was given blood pressure medication
to relax my blood vessels in order
to have better blood flow to my extremities.
In my mid-30s I had another muscle
biopsy. The result came back perfectly
normal. The doctors thought for sure
they would have a diagnosis. Instead they
were more puzzled than ever.
During this period of investigation,
my face started to swell for no apparent
reason. My eyelids were so swollen that
I had to lift them to see. I was tested for
every possible allergy. The only allergy I
20 (1012) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
had was environmental in nature. I was
a medical mystery. It took about six
months for the swelling to resolve, and
no definitive diagnosis was made.
Because I’m an operating-room nurse,
the anesthetists with whom I worked
decided to study my case. After examining
all my lab tests, muscle biopsy
reports, and other symptoms with
which I had presented over the years,
they concluded that I did not have MH.
Tell me about your experience at the
Toronto General Hospital (TGH), where
you were employed at the time. [TGH is
one of three hospital campuses that
comprise the University Health Network
(UHN)].
One of the benefits of working in a
Photo by:Dennis Williams
RAISING AWARENESS: Ilyn Clarke and
Maria McClean hope to raise awareness of
the need of organ donors through the
telling of Ilyn’s story.
world-class academic medical institution
is that there are always people willing
to take on a challenge.
I started having greater difficulty
digesting my meals. In my later teens I
had noticed on occasion that I had problems
with what appeared to be slow
digestion. This persisted as I aged and
while working at TGH. I consulted one
of the surgeons there. He booked me for
a gastroscopy and a gastrointestinal
(GI) motility test. These tests revealed
that I had decreased motility between
my esophagus and stomach. I was sent
to a rheumatologist and a pulmonologist.
Eventually, I was diagnosed with
mixed connective tissue disease. There
was nothing the doctors could do but
treat symptoms as they arose. They told
me I had handed them a deck of cards
that made no sense.
After working at TGH, you decided to
relocate to North Carolina. What
prompted this move?
In 1999, after working for 13 years for
UHN, I decided to relocate to North Carolina
to enjoy warmer weather. The cold
winters caused much pain and discomfort
to my extremities. I was employed
in the operating room at Duke University
Hospital in Durham.
At what point did you notice respiratory
changes?
In the summer of 2004 I began having
shortness of breath, which I attributed to
humid weather. By the fall I had developed
a productive cough, which was
treated with antibiotics, but the coughing
would return every few weeks
accompanied by laryngitis [hoarseness]
and extreme fatigue. Getting things done
required extra energy and time. The
shortness of breath also affected my rest.
I spent the first weekend in March 2005
in bed sleeping in a sitting position,
because every time I tried to lie on my
bed I felt I would drown from the fluid in
my lungs. I went to work the following
Monday but was wheezing and became
completely hoarse throughout the day.
I decided to go to the emergency room
for treatment. From there I was admitted
to the hospital after being diagnosed
with pulmonary hypertension (PH).
What happened next?
After I was discharged I was given
medication to control the PH and then
returned to work. I felt great, and life
resumed as usual. This good feeling
lasted for about a year. I then started
slowing down again and experienced
severe muscle cramps as well as shortness
of breath on exertion. I was placed
on experimental drugs and told that I
needed to be on oxygen 24/7. I was still
working at this time, and no one knew
how sick I was because I had become
very skilled at concealing my illness.
When my shift finished, I would head to
my car, connect to the oxygen, and drive
home. I would also experience periods
of syncope [fainting] after a prolonged
coughing spell. I lived alone, and whenever
I felt I was going to faint I would lie
on the floor so I wouldn’t hurt myself.
Not once did I cough or lose consciousness
while driving, however. That was a
miracle in itself. I fainted twice at work
in October 2006. The first time, I was
about to start an intravenous line in a
patient, but collapsed on the floor. I was
able to recover, complete the procedure,
and finish the 12-hour shift. After the
second incident I was transferred to the
emergency room. That was my last day
of work in North Carolina.
How was your faith during this
period, and how did these incidents
influence your decision to return to
Canada?
My faith remained strong. I always
believed my life was in God’s hand.
Whatever He decided was fine with me. I
knew angels were constantly protecting
me. I was never afraid. And although
there was no good news coming from
my doctors, God kept me calm because I
knew He was in control. I also knew I
had to return to Canada. That was
not an option. I prayed for
strength to make it through
each day so I could accomplish
what was needed to
facilitate the return to my
family in Canada. God honored
that request. He put incredible,
unselfish friends in place to take over
and orchestrate my move.
When did you learn of a donor?
At the end of November 2006 I
returned to Canada. I was seen by my former
pulmonologist, who had received all
my medical records from Duke Hospital.
He arranged for me to consult the lungtransplant
team for an assessment to
determine if I were a possible candidate.
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1013) 21
Photo by:Dennis Williams
SHARING HER STORY: Ilyn Clarke, a
double-lung transplant recipient (left),
shares her story with the Seventh-day
Adventist Church in Canada health
coordinator, Maria McClean.
It was imperative that
something be done because
my health was deteriorating
rapidly. I experienced another
fainting spell in January 2007 and
sustained a broken right ankle. I lost my
appetite and a significant amount of
weight. Eventually, I was placed on the
waiting list for a transplant. Nine days
after that decision was made, we received
the call that compatible donor lungs
were available. On February 7, 2007, I
received those lungs at Toronto General
Hospital in an operation that lasted six
hours. God be praised!
Amen! Tell me about the team that
performed your operation. And how
was the recovery period?
I was blessed to know the team that
performed my transplant because they
were colleagues with whom I had
worked previously—literally the cream
of the crop. This was no coincidence; this
was part of God’s amazing plan. My
immediate recovery was slow because of
a nosocomial [hospital-acquired] infection
that delayed my discharge for a
month. It was nine months before my
incision closed properly, largely because
my immune system was so compromised.
By September 2008 I had regained
enough strength to return to work in the
operating room on a part-time basis.
Thankfully, I have not experienced
any episodes of rejection to date. Living
with donor lungs means that I will be
taking antirejection medication for
life—some 18 different types twice
daily. Many of the medications are to
offset side effects of other drugs that
are included in my regimen. In the
absence of an adequate drug plan my
medications are costly, but God is faithful
and continues to “supply all [my]
need according to His riches in glory by
Christ Jesus” [Phil. 4:19, NKJV]. 2
Praise God for His faithfulness! Can
you please comment on organ donation?
There is a great need for organ donors
worldwide. According to the Trillium
Gift of Life Network, 3 there are currently
1,500 people in Canada on the waiting
list for organ transplantation. Hundreds
of people die every year while waiting for
transplants. [In Canada] it’s not enough
to sign a donor card; those interested in
becoming donors must be registered
online as well. 4 Organ donation offers
the gift of life to people like me. Information
about my donor remains private,
but God alone knows how truly grateful
I am to this individual for consenting,
and his or her family for honoring, the
request to donate organs that have given
me this tremendous opportunity to continue
fulfilling God’s plans for my life.
AN ARDUOUS
JOURNEY: Maria
McClean (left),
Seventh-day
Adventist Church in
Canada Health
coordinator, talks to
organ recipient Llyn
Clarke about
Clarke’s many-year
struggle with lung
disease.
Photo by Wayne McClean
Final thoughts?
It has been a comfort and joy knowing
Christ as my personal Savior during
this whole ordeal. If I did not believe
God was real, I wouldn’t have made it.
Having a great sense of humor also
helps. It comes in handy when I have to
comfort those who come to comfort me!
I praise God for family who took care
of me and the friends and well-wishers
who prayed with me and blessed me tangibly
throughout this experience. The
only outward sign of my transplant is the
Medic Alert necklace I wear. But inside
my ribcage are two lungs that joyfully
“expand with His praise.” And I look forward
to continuing this praise song all
through eternity—with the help of an
immortal pair of lungs in an immortal
body. Awesome! Awesome God!
Someone died; now you live. Jesus
died; now He lives. And because of His
death, we can live forever.
Amen! n
1
Texts credited to Message are from The Message.
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002.
Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
2
Texts credited to NKJV are from the New King
James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
3
www.giftoflife.on.ca/en/transplant.htm.
4
To find out more or to register as an organ donor
in Canada, go to beadonor.ca. In the United States go
to www.organdonor.gov/becomingdonor/index.html.
22 (1014) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
Introducing the Why
The Fight of Our Lives
This isn’t the article I was planning to write. I was going to write
about the problems in my church.
You know, the important stuff: such as how they never use both the piano and the organ for song service (by
the way, they sound great together). Or those minor grammatical errors that pop up in the bulletin (very tough
for us tortured writer types to ignore). But the worst is when the deacons don’t put chairs back where they
were in my Sabbath school room after their committee meetings (hey, OCD is a serious disorder!).
Yeah, so I was going to tell you about all of those problems. Then I was going to talk about how I’d
been out of town for a variety of reasons for four of the past five Sabbaths. Then, how on this past Sabbath,
when I was finally back in my normal routine, I realized—despite all the “problems”—that I’d
really missed being at my home church.
So I was going to spend 700 words talking about how much each of us needs to be part of a church
community, rather than just attending on a weekly basis. We need people to miss us when we’re gone
and tell us so when we’re back. The scientific evidence is pretty conclusive: People who are part of a
spiritual community tend to live longer and healthier lives. The spiritual evidence in my own life tells
me that I can’t thrive in isolation or exist with only surface-deep relationships. I have to belong to
something that supports my belief system and provides an opportunity to connect with others on a
more profound level.
Anyway, that was going to be the extent of my article this month. To summarize, church is awesome;
make sure you find one that meets your needs.
Right? Well, sort of.
Engaged in Battle
As humans we’re innately selfish and often express that self-centeredness in a variety of ways. That
can certainly include our religious experience. Don’t get me wrong: we should all be so fortunate as
to be part of a church that supports our emotional, social, and spiritual needs. But it can’t stop there.
Don’t take my word for it: check out what Ellen White wrote.
“Many professed Christians, in seeking church relationship, think only of themselves. They wish to
enjoy church fellowship and pastoral care. They become members of large and prosperous churches,
and are content to do little for others. In this way they are robbing themselves of the most precious
blessings. Many would be greatly benefited by sacrificing their pleasant, ease-conducing associations.
They need to go where their energies will be called out in Christian work and they can learn to bear
responsibilities.”*
Where can your energy be used most effectively? In Judges 6, after testing God twice with a fleece, Gideon
knew he was called to center his energy on more than 100,000 Midianites. His initial army consisted of just
32,000 men. And that was before 22,000 went home out of fear.
Are you and I part of that number? Do we sign up on God’s team out of obligation, but run away at the
first sign of resistance?
In God’s eyes Gideon still had too many men. This time the Lord told Gideon to send back all those who
knelt down to take a nice long drink. Another 9,700 soldiers were excused.
Perhaps like the 9,700, we made it past the first round, staying the course out of obligation. But as the
battle looms it’s easy to relax and soak in the last moments before certain failure.
Gideon had only 300 warriors left. But these men were not afraid to leave their comfort zone or face
impossible odds. They most certainly were not about to lose focus with the confrontation so close. These
were men with whom Gideon could go to war.
The battle has shifted, but the great controversy is alive as ever.
Be the kind of person with whom God can go to war. n
Jimmy
Phillips
* Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), p. 151.
Jimmy Phillips (jimmyphillips15@gmail.com) writes from Bakersfield, California, where he is director of marketing and
communications for San Joaquin Community Hospital. Visit his Web site: introducingthewhy.com.
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1015) 23
Heart and Soul:
Theology
the Adventist label to find a significant
range of views on creation.
Time for More
Notwithstanding our confidence in
the Bible’s creation account, belief in
the six-day creation week has for too
long been merely one of the 28 fundamental
beliefs. It has not received our
GEORGE T. JAVOR
Why Buy Creation?
full attention, and we are the poorer for
There is not a great But why would books on creation not it. The end-time call by the second angel
deal of interest in
sell? Perhaps because, even though we of Revelation to worship the Creator
are surrounded by evolutionary thinking
in mainline media, academia, and Long after evolution is forgotten, cre-
(Rev. 14:7) is directed to all of us.
creation among
Adventists,” the Adventist even some religious bodies, Adventists ation will dominate the thinking of the
Book Center manager have long ago settled on the veracity of redeemed throughout eternity! The vehicle
of creation draws us closer and closer
the biblical account of creation. After all,
told me. I was stunned.
every seventh day we stop our busy to our Creator and Redeemer that we
After all, she would know. lives to worship the Creator on the Sabbath.
The very name of our denomina-
and Eve found in Eden’s garden of
may the better experience what Adam
She sold books to
Adventists. She knew tion is a proclamation of our
delight. As Ellen White wrote, there “the
unshakable belief in creation!
laws and operations of nature, which
what they bought.
have engaged men’s study
Creation
for six thousand years, were
opened to their minds by
the infinite Framer and
Upholder of all. . . . On every
leaf of the forest or stone of
in
Focus
The Seventh-day Adventist membership
at large does not need to be convinced
about the veracity of creation.
This may help explain the low level of
interest in books on this topic. Of
course, reality is a bit more complex.
One needs only to peruse the blogs and
overhear the lectures of some who bear
the mountains, in every shining star, in
earth and air and sky, God’s name was
written. The order and harmony of creation
spoke to them of infinite wisdom
and power.” Adhering to that order, “they
would be constantly gaining new treasures
of knowledge, discovering fresh
springs of happiness, and obtaining
24 (1016) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
of Creation. However, shamayim here is the
Hebrew word for the visible heavens, the
sky, or the atmosphere. As some translations
put it: “In the beginning God created
the sky and the earth” (Gen. 1:1, NCV). 2
clearer and yet clearer conceptions of the
immeasurable, unfailing love of God.” 1
The Hebrew word for the creation of
the world (bara’, Gen. 1:1) has no English
equivalent. It has been said that only the
Hebrew language has this particular
term, which describes an act only God is
capable of, “creating out of nothing.” It
happens, however, that my Hungarian
mother tongue also has such a word
(teremt), identical in meaning to bara’.
Science and bara’
Creating matter out of nothing violates
the first law of thermodynamics,
which states that the energy/matter content
of the universe is constant. But the
Lord is not confined to the three dimensions
of the universe. In creating, He
simply introduces new matter into it.
As to the true nature of matter,
nuclear physicists are still struggling
to comprehend how energy becomes
matter. Their latest hope rests on the
newly discovered “Higgs boson” as the
subatomic particle that will complete
the puzzle. We also still cannot explain
the fundamental nature of positive or
negative charges, magnetism, or gravity.
When it comes to human knowledge,
we still “see through a glass,
darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12, KJV).
The Bible teaches that the Lord placed
our world into a preexisting universe.
Unfortunately, the English translation,
“heavens” (Hebrew, shamayim), in Genesis
1:1 is subject to significant misunderstanding,
leading some to conclude that
the entire universe was created on day one
The Solar System
It is entirely possible that on day one
of the Creation the Lord created not
only the earth but the entire solar system,
with an unignited sun holding
eight planets and some 150 moons in
orbit. Then on the fourth day the Lord
ignited the sun, illuminating the earth,
moon, and planets. Isaiah’s comment
that the Lord did not create the earth in
vain, but formed it to be inhabited (see
Isa. 45:18), provokes reflection on the
“earthlike” planets—Mercury, Venus,
Mars—all of which appear to
be barren and lifeless. And
what, we may ask, are the
large gaseous planets—Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—surrounded
by
numerous planet-sized
moons, doing out there?
Our Creator never does anything
“in vain.” Sanctified speculation
on now uninhabitable
neighboring planets may draw
inspiration from the Lord’s
original plans for our own.
Once our unfallen earth had become covered
with replicas of the Garden of Eden, 3
it would have necessitated the expansion
of humanity to neighboring planets. The
Creator would probably have then converted
these into livable places in the full
view of onlooking humanity, so that we
too could have shouted for joy!
The gaseous compositions of Jupiter
and Saturn hint that they may be unignited,
miniature suns. The moons of the
outer planets would require additional
light and energy to support human existence.
Therefore, with Jupiter and Saturn
becoming small suns, in the unfallen
earth we would have enjoyed not one
but perhaps three suns in the sky.
It is inconceivable that on the pre-
Flood world anyone looking up could
have been blinded by the sun. Genesis
1:7 states that originally the upper
atmosphere contained a water canopy
that must have acted as a disperser of
sunlight, suggesting that there may have
been no shadows on the pre-Flood earth.
The printed
version of the
chromosomal
sequence, using a
conventional font
size, takes up 1,000
pages of singlespaced
lines.
With the water canopy in place, possibly
the light intensity of the uniformly lit
blue sky would have varied during the
day, starting out slightly pinkish, then
turning brighter and brighter blue,
reaching its peak at noon. Then, in the
afternoon, the process would have
reversed, with the blue sky becoming less
bright, and finally turning uniformly
pinkish at sunset. During moonless
nights fewer stars may have been visible.
On the sixth day of the Creation,
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1017) 25
when everything was accomplished,
“God saw everything that he had made,
and, behold, it was very good” (Gen.
1:31, KJV). This was not the first time
the Lord created a world and populated
it with living beings. There may be
untold numbers, perhaps billions, of
other created worlds floating in the universe.
Had the Lord simply repeated
what He had done so many times
before, there may not have been a need
for this final quality control. That the
Creator carefully examined all of His
creation on earth suggests that He had
presented Himself with something new,
something unique, to review!
At the same time, we must be compatible
with the rest of the universe, capable
of interacting with other created
nonhumans and even learning their
language. Since the universe has been
around a long time before our appearance,
we will have a lot of catching up to
do in the new earth.
Focused Wonder:
Escherichia coli
The creation of the sun, earth, and the
planets shows the Creator’s might. But
the formation of millions of living organisms,
from amoebas to the zebra, declare
His indescribably inventive genius and
compassionate care. All organisms were
created to fill a designated place in the
rich tapestry of the biosphere’s ecosystem.
Contrary to evolutionary assertions
about the “survival of the fittest,” no
organism can exist alone. As Ellen White
observed, “There is nothing, save the selfish
heart of man, that lives unto itself. No
bird that cleaves the air, no animal that
moves upon the ground, but ministers to
some other life.” 4
Biology, the study of life, has played a
compelling role in science since the
middle of the twentieth century. And
the information explosion regarding
life processes brings an increased
appreciation of the intricate sophistica-
tion of living matter.
Much biological knowledge has been
garnered from the study of the model
organism Escherichia coli. This bacterium
is a normal resident of the human
colon. It assists in the digestive process
and provides us with the B-complex
vitamin biotin. Some rogue strains of E.
coli with noxious properties have given
this organism a bad reputation. But
working with harmless laboratory
strains of E. coli for decades, I was drawn
into the sophisticated miniature world
of the bacterial cell.
E. coli is an automated self-replicating
nano (mini) factory. Its product inventory
rivals the world’s largest chemical
manufacturers (DuPont, etc.). Its single
chromosome consists of two circular
intertwined DNA molecules, each consisting
of 4.6 million nucleotides.
Inspecting the chromosome’s nucleotide
sequence, its genetic information,
one sees a seemingly endless run of
four nucleotides, abbreviated as A, G, T,
and C. The printed version of the chromosomal
sequence, using a conventional
font size, takes up 1,000 pages of
single-spaced lines.
E. coli has in excess of 4,000 different
proteins, and the chromosome’s genetic
information tells the cell how and when
to synthesize these compounds. Most of
the 4,000 proteins work to promote
individual chemical reactions.
The substances E. coli manufactures
include coenzyme Q , or ubiquinone, a
substance that helps the cell’s growth in
the presence of air. Through nine years
of studying the biosynthesis of coenzyme
Q , my laboratory was able to pinpoint
the exact location of the ubiD
gene on the chromosome of E. coli. 5 This
gene involved a sequence of 1,491
nucleotides. A change of a single nucleotide
inactivated the ubiD protein.
This small detail illustrates the extent
of specificity and complexity required
for the life processes of this microscopic
organism. The totality of information
on E. coli is now so enormous
that it can be stored only in databases
such as “Ecocyc.” 6
E. coli represents but an insignificant
fraction of all living organisms. Science’s
vast database on this microorganism is
but a drop in an ocean of all biological
facts, known and unknown. Our great
Creator is the inventor and implementer
of all biology. The exceptions are all the
noxious and toxic entities that are the
result of corrupting and parasitizing
God’s good creation by an enemy, Satan
(see Matt. 13:28). Biology too bears the
scars of the great controversy.
Conclusion
Conscientious and intelligent minds
may find reasons for faith in our great
Creator by being more sensitive to the
beauties and wonders of existence. In
our innermost being we may magnify
the Lord for His greatness and goodness.
Thinking and acting thus gives us practice
for eternity, as this will be the joyous
privilege of the redeemed forever.
1
Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Mountain
View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1890), p. 51.
2
Scriptures credited to NCV are quoted from The
Holy Bible, New Century Version, copyright © 2005 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
3
Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, Calif.:
Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1903), p. 22.
4
Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View,
Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1898), p. 20.
5
H. Zhang and G. T. Javor, “Identification of the
ubiD Gene on the Escherichia coli Chromosome,” Journal
of Bacteriology 182 (2000): 6243-6246.
6
www.ecocyc.org.
George T. Javor is a retired
professor of biochemistry and
microbiology, Loma Linda
University, School of Medicine.
His recent publications include
A Scientist Celebrates Creation (Ringgold, Ga.:
TEACH Services, 2012).
26 (1018) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
GLOW Stories
Giving light to our world—
GLOW—is an outreach
initiative in multiple North
American Division conferences
based on the concept of
church members carrying
Adventist literature with them
wherever they go and handing
it out—free of charge—at every
opportunity. Here are two
short stories of lives touched
by GLOW:
Giving Light to Our World
Beth routinely visits a small restaurant in
Story 1 her town where she leaves a GLOW tract
along with her tip. One day a new server named Jasmine
waited on Beth’s table, and Beth hesitated to leave a tract
because she didn’t know how Jasmine might react. Beth
decided, though, to step out in faith and do it. A week later
Beth again visited the restaurant. As soon as Jasmine saw
Beth, she rushed over and profusely thanked her for the GLOW tract. She said that it was
just what she had needed that day and had made her feel that someone cared for her.
Beth and Jasmine have now become good friends and regularly discuss spiritual issues.å
Seven-year-old Kimberly attended a day-care program owned by Elena, the
Story 2 GLOW leader of the local Adventist church. One day Kimberly noticed Elena
sorting GLOW tracts and asked her questions about them. She then requested some
tracts for herself and her friends, and Elena gave her 10 of them. Kimberly then asked for
more tracts to give to her teachers, so Elena gave her 10 more. Kimberly also wanted a few
in Spanish for her Spanish-speaking relatives, so she received those as well. When her
mother came to pick her up from day-care, she asked Elena about the GLOW tracts her
daughter had. She and Elena discussed Bible prophecy for a few minutes, and then Kimberly’s
mom accepted Elena’s invitation to attend church that weekend.
photo: Ricardo Camacho
Stories compiled by Central California Conference GLOW director Nelson Ernst. To find out more about GLOW,
go to sdaglow.org..
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1019) 27
Story
Jaime
Jorge:
CENTER STAGE
BY KAREN PEARSON
Jaime Jorge sat in the restaurant and looked at his friend from across the table. He had an important project
he wanted to talk about, and though there was no way to predict the outcome, he knew the next few minutes
were crucial. He had prayed about this meeting. In fact, he was sure the Lord had orchestrated it. But
now that he was here he wondered how his friend would respond.
This is God’s music ministry, he reminded himself, and that’s the reason I’m here. Jaime edged
forward on his seat and waited to see what God would do.
Talent Search
Twenty-five years earlier Jaime Jorge
had found himself backstage listening
to a raucous crowd. When he’d been
invited to participate in the talent competition
he’d thought it was, well, a serious
competition. Now he wasn’t sure. It
seemed like more of a rock concert.
He just had time to glance down at his
violin before his name was announced
and he was thrust toward center stage.
Jaime took a deep breath, closed his eyes,
and started to play. That’s when it happened;
that strange, wonderful, something
that happened whenever he played.
The restless crowd became quiet as
they were caught up in the musical
mastery that is Jaime Jorge. As the music
ended, the audience remained quiet for
a moment, then spontaneously
exploded into applause, jumped up
from their seats, and yelled for more.
Everything changed for Jaime in that
one pivotal moment. He now knew he’d
been given something extraordinary:
God had given him an exceptional talent.
And now that he knew, what would
he do with this gift from the Lord?
Years earlier Jaime’s mother, Mayda
Isabel García, recognized God’s anoint-
28 (1020) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
Celebrating
25 years
of music
ministry
ing on her son. An accomplished musician
and pianist in her own right, Mayda
accepted the responsibility of guiding
5-year-old Jaime and planting his feet
firmly where they needed to be. Through
the years Mayda would say, “God has
given you a gift, Jaime. And He wants you
to use it for Him.” Her faithfulness at
encouraging Jaime to stay focused in
using his gift to further God’s kingdom
has been blessed.
Jaime Jorge has performed in school
auditoriums and magnificent cathedrals, in
small churches and in Carnegie Hall. Few
professional musicians can match his concert
itinerary. Over the course of the past 10
years he has averaged at least 200 concerts
each year, and since the start of his ministry
has performed more than 3,000 times in 46
countries. In spite of playing in so many different
countries, he has never had a problem
communicating, for his violin speaks
every language.
Now as Jaime watched his friend he smiled
UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT: During the
finale of his twenty-fifth anniversary concert,
Jaime Jorge (right) performs with
Larnelle Harris (left) Reinaldo Macías,
Jennifer LaMountain, Kirk Whalum, and
Michael Card.
to see him lean forward, eager to hear what
Jaime had to share. “Please, Lord,” he prayed,
“I want Your will. If You want my friend to
partner with me, help him catch the vision for
this project.”
An Idea Grows
Toward the end of 2011 Jaime and his
sister, May, spoke about doing something
to commemorate 25 years of
music ministry. They thought about a
special concert that would include May
on the flute, Mayda on piano, and a few
other friends.
Then the idea started to grow: Why
don’t we put together an orchestra, a band,
and a choir, and make this even bigger? The
idea continued to grow. Why not record
the concert and turn it into a live concert
DVD and Blu-ray?
Jaime spoke to his family and a few
trusted friends. When they encouraged
him, he called his friend and mentor,
Sam Ocampo, and John Stoddart, a
friend and producer with whom
he’d previously worked. If they
thought it was a good idea it would
be worth pursuing.
After both men enthusiastically
jumped on board, only one thing
remained. Well, two, really. First,
Jaime wanted confirmation this idea
would be blessed by the Lord. It had to
be God’s project, not his: a celebration
of 25 years of God’s ministry.
The second thing? Money. Lots of it.
For it to become a reality, God would
have to provide the resources. Jaime
placed the project before the Lord. If You
want me to move forward, Lord, please let the
very first potential sponsor I contact be
excited about being involved.
Soon afterward, Jaime made an
appointment with Beecher Hunter of
Life Care Centers of America. During
their meeting Jaime shared his vision
for the project and watched Beecher’s
face light up with excitement. It was
exactly what Jaime had prayed for.
Creating a Concert
Over the next several weeks Jaime
knocked on many doors. Some opened,
others did not. As the Lord continued to
lead, Jaime found himself in Chicago,
seated across from his friend in a favorite
restaurant. Roger Cary, chief operating
officer of Cancer Treatment Centers
of America, leaned forward as Jaime
spoke about the possible concert and
live DVD. Before he could even ask
about sponsorship, Roger suggested it.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America
became the primary sponsor. Without
their involvement the project would not
have become a reality.
With the Lord’s blessing and funds
coming in, Jaime now turned to the serious
work of choosing guest artists. He
wanted musicians who were dedicated
to the Lord first and foremost, musicians
who had a true heart for ministry and
for God, musicians who demonstrated
musical excellence. And he wanted diversity
in music styles and arrangements.
Through God’s providence the final
lineup proved to be jaw dropping.
The concert was
everything Jaime
had dreamed.
Jaime Jorge Live!
After eight months of nonstop work,
Sunday night, November 25, 2012,
finally arrived. While waiting backstage
Jaime remembered that night 25 years
earlier when he’d first recognized God’s
gift to him. He’d had so much to learn:
one of the most important being how to
measure success. True success is measured
by how effectively one shares
God’s love for men and women everywhere.
It’s not about the size of the
audience, the grandeur of the concert
hall, or any level of remuneration. I just
want to talk about Jesus, he thought. He is
the reason I’ve been doing this for 25 years!
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1021) 29
STAGE PRESENCE: Over his career as a
musician, Jaime has performed on a variety
of stages before hundreds of audiences.
Here he poses with Robert Schuller,
founder of the Crystal Cathedral.
When his friend Frank González
announced his name, Jaime strode
toward center stage.
Every seat was filled, and a sense of
expectancy rippled through the crowd.
God’s Spirit felt very near. In the audience
sat his mother. He looked at her
and his heart melted. The look of pride
on his father’s face made him smile.
Jaime lifted his violin and the air filled
with the sound of “A Mighty Fortress Is
Our God.”
Song followed song, artist followed
artist, and woven between and holding
it together was the power and anointing
of the Holy Spirit. Larnelle Harris
sang his classic “Were It Not for Grace”;
the Oakwood University Aeolians
brought the audience to its feet with
“Blessed Assurance.”
The second half of the concert opened
with a patriotic medley featuring John
Stoddart’s masterful arrangement of
“The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Jennifer
LaMountain and Reinaldo Macías’
duet “It’s Not in Vain” was moving, and
Michael Card sang “El Shaddai.”
But the most unforgettable moment
came during the finale. Jaime played a
stanza of “Amazing Grace”; the Aeolians
joined in and sang the first verse;
Michael Card joined Jaime on stage and
sang the next verse; Kirk Whalum on
saxophone played next; then Jennifer
LaMountain and Reinaldo Macías sang
a verse; Larnelle Harris continued the
momentum; and everyone sang and
played for the final verse. By that time,
the crowd was on its feet. The song
ended with a spontaneous burst of
praise to God.
The concert and the evening were
everything Jaime had dreamed, and
then some.
Living the Impossible Dream
In his book Crescendo (Pacific Press)
Jaime speaks of that moment. “I wish I
could capture and freeze what I experienced
at the end of the concert that
night. I wanted to laugh. I wanted to cry.
But mostly I worshipped God. At that
moment I caught a glimpse, a small
glimpse, of the depth and extravagance
of God’s amazing grace! It is really and
truly all about His amazing grace!”
“God calls and gifts each one of us,”
says Jaime. “We each have a work to
do to share Christ with the world,
using what He has placed in our
hands, for His glory. He calls us to
serve Him with humility and excellence
and, if we are faithful, He will
bless beyond our wildest dreams.”
Jaime is living proof. n
Both the DVD, Jaime Jorge Live! and the
book, Crescendo, are available at Adventist
Book Centers and online at AdventistBook
Center.com.
Karen Pearson is director of
publicity and public relations
for Pacific Press Publishing
Association.
READY TO PLAY: At 12 years of age,
Jaime poses before performing at
Chicago Symphony Hall.
STARTING YOUNG: Jaime Jorge (front, center) was concertmaster
of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra when he
was 8 years old.
30 (1022) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013
Reflections
Stuck @ 60
The summer morning dawned gloriously, promising a gorgeous
start to a wonderful weekend. Our son had just turned 20, and my husband had managed to arrange for
him to join us for a weekend together on Tangier Island, a quaint fishing community in the middle of the
Chesapeake. Our boat to the island was scheduled for pickup at a marina several hours away, and we had
just enough time to make it after collecting him and his luggage from the airport.
Friday morning congestion in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, however, was a little worrisome.
Added to the traffic delays was a little excitement at a crowded red light when a heavy-duty dump truck tried
to come alongside with its center, heavy-load tires on fire. So you can understand why, when the traffic
finally thinned and we left the city behind, I sat back and set my cruise at 60 to try to make up a little time.
I cannot remember what made me check, but on an almost-deserted straight stretch of the four-lane
divided highway, I realized that my brake was not disengaging the cruise control. The car would slow somewhat,
but would immediately begin accelerating again. I tested the brakes several times in disbelief; then
reverted to the Off button on the cruise control. Nothing worked! A bit of panic began to edge in, and when
my husband suggested I try to pull the car over and turn the engine off, I jumped right in with both feet on
the brakes.
Thankfully, the brake was able to overpower the engine enough to pull the car off the road and onto the
grass. Though the engine complained when I quickly jammed it into park and turned the key, a short call
to our mechanic enabled us to locate the cable at fault under the hood and allowed us to proceed on our
way, albeit without cruise control.
In reflecting on the experience, I realized that life has a few parallels to my story. Deadlines and
delays, distractions, and disruptions all tempt us to push the limits. To-do lists and meeting
schedules fill our calendars, and it is easy to end up barreling down life’s road unaware that
we are on course for a collision.
Despite the excitement and delay that summer’s day, the timing turned out perfectly.
We pulled into the marina just as the charter arrived and enjoyed a delightful weekend
kayaking around the islands and exploring the salt marsh and beaches, village homes,
and shops.
Our mechanic’s inspection later revealed that the end of the cable had begun to fray,
allowing it to catch in the mechanism. Hindsight also brought the realization that a
quick kick into neutral would probably have been a better recourse and spared the
engine a little grief in the process.
That aside, my reflections brought a few other conclusions into focus: First of all,
when the pace picks up and your day begins to take on a life of its own, take a moment
to remember that things can begin to fray even when everything is apparently under
control. Second, thank the Lord for every reminder He sends to check your cruise
control, and be prepared, if need be, to shift everything into neutral and jump on the
brakes with both feet.
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, . . . above everything” (Ps.
46:10, Message).* n
* Texts credited to Message are from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission
of NavPress Publishing Group.
Miriam Taylor writes from Laurel, Maryland.
www.AdventistReview.org | November 14, 2013 | (1023) 31