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Letters From Our Readers
www.adventistreview.org
September 19, 2013
Vol. 190, No. 26
September 19, 2013
Theological Seminary
Insta ls New Dean
Unleashing the Word
The God of the Gap
Habits of the Heart
»»
I am writing in regard to
Bill Knott’s article “Habits of
the Heart” (Sept. 19, 2013).
During the recent Revelation
cruise, I was privileged to
visit briefly with Knott. He
stated in passing that he had
stayed up late the night
before finishing an article to
be published in the September
19 Review. So I watched
eagerly for the arrival of my
magazine. When it arrived, I
located the cover story he
authored.
Knott’s first paragraph
contains the following quotation
from Ellen White: “I
long to be beautified every
day with the meekness and
gentleness of Christ” (Our
High Calling, p. 247). This
prayer is the secret to
humility.
The first desirable heart
habit Knott mentions is solitude,
which we humans
sadly avoid even though it
could give us an opportunity
to listen to the “sound of a
gentle whisper” from God,
following Jesus’ example. We
do need quiet moments to
contemplate what God has
done for us in the past. If any
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doubt crosses our mind
about His leading, our faith
will reassure us that we are
still loved by a merciful and
forgiving heavenly Father.
And this is where a heart
overflowing with deep gratitude
comes into the picture.
The steps mentioned in
the article are so simple yet
profound. If implemented,
they will see us through to
the day of Christ’s appearing.
Thank you, Bill Knott, for
outlining them so well in the
“Habits of the Heart.”
Laurice Kafrouni
Durrant
Keene, Texas
Something’s Missing
»»
I like to read real-life, true
stories in the Adventist Review;
however, after reading
“Climbing the Tree of Life” in
the September 19, 2013, edition,
I have a question: How
did the lights get on the top
of the tree?
It’s not too difficult to
write a story with a moral,
but sometimes the details
are important to understanding
the entire story. The
lights should be much easier
to get down than to place up
there in the first place. Did
they use a ladder to get them
up (and down), and did the
author have to climb the tree
to get them down?
Norma J. McKellip
Macon, Georgia
The original story contained
more details; unfortunately,
because of space limitations they
were omitted. Here (below) is the
missing information; we hope
this helps you and other readers
enjoy the article that much
more.—Editors.
The Missing Details
»»“Alas, the Christmas lights
were still up in the tree, and
the mission to retrieve them
was still unaccomplished.
Looking at the tree, I couldn’t
honestly believe it had supported
a six-foot-four-inch,
nearly 200-pound man hanging
lights on it. ‘Tossing’ had
played a strategic part in getting
them up there as well,
which had made it easier to
get them up than to get them
down. So there we were in
the front yard without
cranes, ropes, apple picker,
or any other gadget to help.
My husband had swayed the
tree too much originally, and
our daughter had just given
her most valiant effort. Two
out of the three had ‘been
there and done that.’ . . . As I
removed my bulky vest, mittens,
and scarf, I told them
I’d give it a try.”
No One Close
»»
The title of Andy Nash’s
article “No One Close: The
Finest Adventist Author”
(Sept. 19, 2013) was attractive.
I was eager to read it.
But alas, what a shocking
realization it was to find the
article that seemed to praise
Ellen White’s writings was,
in reality, destroying any
credibility of her being
inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The article states: “It’s OK
to disagree with her, to point
out her mistakes. It’s OK to
limit her counsel; she herself
said, ‘Circumstances alter
cases.’ Those who read only
Ellen White tend to be troubled
people. But those who
study Scripture, who also
read Ellen White, are the
recipients of rich last-day
blessings.”
Are there really people
who read only Ellen White?
She stated very clearly that
her writings were to lead
people to the greater light.
Studies prove that those who
read White spend more time
reading the Bible compared
to those who do not.
Notice what she wrote
about her own writings:
“The very last deception of
Satan will be to make of none
effect the testimony of the
Spirit of God. ‘Where there is
no vision, the people perish’
(Prov. 29:18). Satan will work
ingeniously, in different
ways and through different
agencies, to unsettle the confidence
of God’s remnant
people in the true testimony”
(Selected Messages,
book 1, p. 48).
Meshach Samuel
Memphis, Tennessee
4 (964) | www.AdventistReview.org | October 24, 2013