Christ Kona?

© terry crews
Sound Bites
“The church is not the
church of God without
the Word of God.”
—Tabatha Azua, a Southwestern Adventist
University student, in a 2013 New Testament
research paper; submitted by professor Ingo
Sorke, Keene, Texas
“If you don’t feel the
reality of God, you
won’t be able to
face the Ninevehs
in your life.”
—Pastor Ron Nelson, at the Maple Ridge,
British Columbia, Canada, Adventist church,
December 2003
adventist life
In our small church we had been discussing how to attract back to church
those members who no longer attend. I was reminded of the portrayal of the
church as a hospital for sinners to get well. When ill, people often choose a
hospital, not based on how ill or well the other patients are, but on whether it
is believed that the physician will be the best one to heal them. In the church
setting, however, we sometimes use the excuse of the illnesses of the other
members (patients) as a reason to avoid church.
I shared my observations with another church member and got this
response: “In most hospitals the other patients don’t walk around with their
own clipboards diagnosing everyone’s problems and prescribing what they
think is the best medication.”
—Maurine Wahlen, Bozeman, Montana
A young pastor depended heavily on his elders to assist him with his threechurch
district duties. Returning one Sabbath after one of his younger elders
had given his first sermon, the pastor asked, “How did it go?”
“Well,” the elder answered, “I found out that I am just as good a preacher as
you are.”
“Is that right?” replied the pastor. “How do you know?”
“I put the same people to sleep, and made the same ones mad as you do”
was the tongue-in-cheek reply.
—Bea Creech, So. Colby, Washington
POEM
May the wind that blows you
out to sea
And takes you home once
more,
With the Master’s touch and
His powers that be
Keep you safe from shore to
shore.
—Eileen Candy Gould,
Washington
Eileen Candy Gould