CARLTON BYRD

www.adventistreview.org 

February 21, 2013 

Adventists Plan 

NYC Outreach 

Feel the Power 

Further Testing 

8 

14 

30 

CARLTON 

BYRD 

BREATH OF 

LIFE SPEAKER/ 

DIRECTOR 

TAKES NEW 

YORK BY 

STORM

“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 25 10 6 

COVER FEATURE 

16 Carlton Byrd Takes 

New York by Storm 

Celeste Ryan Blyden 

The talented ministry 

of Carlton Byrd and his 

dreams for the future 

ON THE COVER 

Carlton Byrd, speaker/director of 

the Breath of Life television ministry, 

uses his talents to honor 

God and spread the good news. 

Cover photo by Dawin Rodriguez 

ARTICLES 

14 Feel the Power 

Homer Trecartin 

Are we connected? Or 

do we need a charge? 

22 iDols 

Vincent MacIsaac 

When do the devices 

meant to serve us become 

our masters? 

24 At the Well 

Galina Stele 

Jesus’ encounter with 

the Samaritan woman 

was no accident. 

28 The Eternal Chapter 

Lilian Han Im 

Thank God He knows 

us better than we 

know ourselves. 

DEPARTMENTS 

4 Letters 

7 Page 7 

8 World News & 

Perspectives 

13 Give & Take 

21 Cliff’s Edge 

27 Back to Basics 

30 The Life of Faith 

31 Reflections 

EDITORIALS 

6 Gerald A. Klingbeil 

Back to the Future 

7 Carlos Medley 

Living Examples 

Next Week 

A Journey of Faith 

and Healing 

The White Memorial Medical 

Center is celebrating 100 years 

of serving its community. 

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, Assistant to the Editor Gina Wahlen, 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 

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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 

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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. 5 

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www.AdventistReview.org | February 21, 2013 | (131) 3

inbox 

Letters From Our Readers 


January 24, 2013 


Vol. 190, No. 3 

Let Me serve you 

2013 world Budget 

Focuses on Mi sion 

Listening to atheists 

What’s a 

Body to Do? 

How not to panic 

wHen tHe doctor 

says, “it’s cancer.” 

Inspirational Review 

»» 

Wow! What an inspiring 

Review! I’m referring to the 

January 24, 2013, edition. 

First, “Listening to Atheists,” 

by Grenville Kent, is an excellent 

article. Never before 

have I seen printed the reasons 

atheists have for their 

beliefs (eternal hell, etc.). 

This article offers good ways 

to approach atheists. 

In KidsView C. D. Brooks’ 

“Who Finished the Building?” 

is an excellent illustration 

of God’s miracles. 

Two articles, Gina 

Wahlen’s “What’s a Body to 

Do?” and Allan R. Handysides’ 

“Coping With Cancer,” 

were enlightening in regard 

to cancer options. I am sure 

many families have been ravaged 

by someone close having 

cancer. These articles 

showed alternatives to what 

we normally do. Excellent! 

Art Miles 

Apison, Tennessee 

Taking the Hint 

»» 

I’m writing to thank 

Andrew McChesney for 

reminding us that God 

wants Christians to avoid the 

ways of the world (see “Taking 

the Hint,” Jan. 24). The 

way we talk, act, and dress 

7 

11 

14 

speak volumes for good or 

evil! 

Pam Cross 

Altamont, Tennessee 


Religious 

Freedom in 

the United 

States 



Vol. 190, No. 2 

IS one of 

the most 

fundamental 

freedom 

unde attack? 

Religious Freedom 

in America 

»» 

With more than a little 

skepticism I began reading 

“Religious Freedom in America,” 

by Nicholas P. Miller 

(Jan. 17, 2013). But into the 

second page Miller began 

putting it all together with 

an impeccable discussion of 

“moral philosophy” and the 

“dissenting (free church) 

position” (in opposition to 

both right-wing Christian 

conservatives and left-wing 

liberals). 

Miller gives a nuanced 

discussion of a rational 

approach to current “football” 

issues—a rationale 

more Adventists should 

study. It places these issues 

within a framework of 

weighted factors, resulting 

in a fine-tuned balance. It 

avoids extremes and protects 

against future suppression 

of the minority religious 

view. If understood, Miller’s 

approach would minimize 

much of the polarization we 

find on many issues within 

our church and nation. 

Connie Dahlke 

Walla Walla, Washington 

r 

A Wave and a Gr eting 

Religiously Unaffiliated 

Swe l Worldwide 

Divine A sa sin? 

S 

7 

8 

26 

»» 

I appreciated the thoughtprovoking 

article “Religious 

Freedom in America.” In it 

Nicholas P. Miller writes: 

“This approach would also 

recognize the moral value of 

protecting the goals and 

ends of the child-raising unit 

of a mother and a father, and 

reserve its full approval for 

such relationships. Such an 

approach may allow for civil 

unions for tax and insurance 

purposes, but it would limit 

marriage and the right to 

raise children to heterosexual 

couples based on moral 

arguments about the purposes 

of procreation and the 

rights of children to benefit 

from the special care provided 

by a mother and a 

father.” 

This statement seems 

inconsistent with the issues 

or realities faced by single 

parents (who may or may 

not have previously been 

married) or by single persons 

who wish to adopt children. 

I know of singles who 

adopted. I also know of one 

single woman who raised a 

child conceived by artificial 

insemination. In these and 

other similar situations a 

sole person of either gender 

(both never married and previously 

divorced) has most 

assuredly successfully raised 

a child/children. There is no 

“natural” moral argument to 

allow the state to enforce or 

legislate the “right to raise 

children to heterosexual 

couples” and exclude everyone 

else. How unfortunate it 

would be for many children 

not to have the privilege or 

the “right” to be raised by a 

loving single person who is 

capable and desires to be a 

parent. In an ideal world 

every child would have the 

opportunity to be raised 

with two loving parents of 

both genders. . . . 

The most urgent attention 

is needed for repeal of the 

law prohibiting a counselor/ 

preacher/physician/etc. from 

advising any person under 

18 who desires such counseling 

“to modify or alter samesex 

attractions.” This is 

dangerously foreboding and 

totally outside the realm of 

the state to legislate such 

(morality). 

“Denise” 

Location Withheld 




Vol. 190, No. 1 

Ordination Study 

Commi t e Named 

Wi ling to Be Led 

God’s Peddler 

What Is a 

What Is a Mystic? 

»» 

It was with great disappointment 

that I read the 

article “What Is a Mystic?” by 

Eric Anderson (Jan. 10, 2013). 

Anderson has chosen to subtly 

guide the reader through 

a maze of semantic twists 

and turns in an unbiblical 

effort to justify the acceptance 

of “mystics” and “mysticism” 

into the Seventh-day 

Adventist spiritual life. 

Anderson first supports 

his thesis by quoting two 

early-twentieth-century 

writer/poets—Kathleen Norris, 

a Benedictine-trained 

Catholic, and Evelyn Underhill, 

who, going against her 

own spiritual mentor, was 

ultimately drawn into mysticism 

and Catholicism. It is 

concerning that the author 

advocates for the beliefs of 

8 

15 

27 

Mystic? 

Seeking 

companionShip 

with Christ 

4 (132) | www.AdventistReview.org | February 21, 2013

ow. Their health status now 

will impact our health-care 

system, military, labor force, 

economy, Social Security, etc. 

That’s why I was glad to 

see Allan R. Handysides and 

Peter N. Landless broach this 

topic in their December 27, 

2012, Ask the Doctors column. 

While they gave a lot of 

great statistics and facts outlining 

the problem, the doctors 

spent only the last two 

paragraphs talking about 

solutions for grandparents 

and parents to consider. 

Here are a few more 

resources that we recommend 

in our Family Fit program 

held at Loma Linda 

University’s Drayson Center: 

Super Sized Kids, by Walt 

Larimore, M.D., and Sherri 

Flynt, M.P.H., R.D., L.D. 

Disease-proof Your Child: 

Feeding Kids Right, by Joel 

Fuhrman, M.D. 

God’s Design for the Highly 

Healthy Child, by Walt Larimore, 

M.D. 

Kid Shape Café (150+ kidtested 

recipes), by Naomi 

Neufeld, M.D. 

www.superkidsnutrition. 

com—one of the best nutrition 

Web sites, packed with 

resources for kids and parents, 

by Melissa Halas-Liang, 

M.A., R.D., C.D.E. 

http://circle.adventist.org/ 

download/PI-KidsExercise. 

pdf—an excellent kid fitness 

article for parents, by Chrissuch 

writers and suggests 

their counsel should guide 

an Adventist’s spiritual walk 

with God. 

An even greater concern is 

his implication that “mysticism” 

is affirmed by Ellen 

White. Numerous quotes 

from the Spirit of Prophecy 

warn strongly against mystics 

and any form of mysticism—calling 

it “satanic” 

and “spiritualism.” To suggest 

that White affirms the 

beliefs that she emphatically 

warns against disparages her 

as a prophet of God and blatantly 

affirms error. 

Anderson concludes by 

urging “Christian mysticism” 

as a “remedy” for 

Adventists today. Despite the 

clever semantics of the 

author, “Christian mysticism” 

is truly an oxymoron. 

The combination of the 

sacred (Christian) and the 

profane (mysticism) cannot 

be justified. 

Janet C. Neumann 

Walla Walla, Washington 

»» 

The author of “What Is a 

Mystic?” distorts the writings 

of Ellen White by implying 

that she was describing 

mysticism as the term is 

commonly understood. A 

footnote acknowledges that 

for White the terms “mystical” 

and “mysticism” were 

usually negative terms. Why, 

then, does Eric Anderson 

attempt to put a positive 

sheen on them? Mysticism 

could prepare the way for 

spirit guides that are not the 

Holy Spirit. 

We draw close to Jesus— 

not just by mountain 

retreats, quiet places, and 

prayer retreats, but also by 

active service for Him. The 

way White put it, Christ 

spent His life “between the 

mountain and the multitude.” 

Is it not possible to 

promote quality time with 

Christ without going down 

the same road as the Catholic 

mystics who retired from 

society to be “close to Jesus”? 

Cindy Tutsch 

Silver Spring, Maryland 

“We draw close to Jesus—not just by 

mountain retreats, quiet places, and prayer 

retreats, but also by active service for Him. 

” 

—cindy tutsch, Silver Spring, Maryland 

Pediatric Obesity 

»» 

Former U.S. surgeon general 

Richard Carmona once 

said, “The greatest threat to 

our national security is pediatric 

obesity.” Why? Because 

the kids and teens of today 

are our future; our tomortine 

Wallace, for CIRCLE, a 

resource for Adventist 

educators. 

Ernie Medina, Jr. 

Loma Linda, California 

John Lello 

»» 

Please pass on our deepest 

sympathy to Pam Lello and 

her children (see “Accident 

Kills John Lello in Papua New 

Guinea,” Dec. 27, 2012). 

Papua New Guinea has a special 

place in the hearts of 

everyone of the Knopper 

family. My brother-in-law, 

Peter Knopper, died at the 

Homu Bible School in 1988 

as the result of being shot. 

Any loss in our South 

Pacific Division is a reminder 

of the great sacrifice being 

made in spreading the love 

of Jesus to this dying world. 

May God be close to this little 

family that has been left to 

face the world without a husband 

and daddy. 

Corinne Knopper 

Cooranbong, New South 

Wales, Australia 

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. 


Editorials 

Gerald A. 

Klingbeil 

“How can 17 

million Adventists 

make a difference 

in a world of 

7 billion?” 

Back to the Future 

Around New Year’s, bloggers, columnists, editors, and 

pundits often dare a look into the proverbial looking glass. What’s the outlook for the economy? 

How will the political shadowboxing in Washington, D.C., play out? What will be the social 

phenomenon of the year? What surprises will we get from Cupertino—or any other small or big 

gadget company? 

You wondered about 2013 as you stepped into January 1. I did—and so did billions of others. 

With two teenagers and a preadolescent roaming the space of our home, change and action has 

become the Leitmotiv of our lives. What will happen in their lives in 2013? What will happen in 

the church we love and cherish in 2013? 

Every December The Economist publishes a special issue looking at the big picture of the coming 

year. 2013 was no exception. An issue, full of best guesses and (at times) thoughtful comments, 

also included a look by Edward Lucas, an international editor of The Economist, at what he thought 

2013 would bring for Christianity. * I was intrigued. Lucas sees secularism gaining ground (not 

really too difficult to discern) and bleak times for Christianity in Europe and the Middle East (we 

knew about that, but it’s good to remember that missionaries are needed to reach the crib of 

Protestantism and the region where most of the biblical stories happened). He forecasts tremendous 

tension within the worldwide Anglican Church and more splintering over gay issues, theological 

liberalism, and the role of Scripture for the practice of the church. He thinks that 

Catholicism will decline even further in Europe and North America—albeit not in Asia and Africa. 

Finally, Lucas suggests that Christianity as a whole will boom in eastern Asia, including also South 

Korea, China, and Taiwan. 

As I read this take on 2013 I found myself at times nodding or shaking my head. Lucas did not 

write about the Seventh-day Adventist Church—yet in my mind I compared his comments with 

our reality. Yes, Europe, Australia, and increasingly North America are becoming more secular by 

the day—including Protestant U.S.A. Yes, we are currently facing hot theological issues (think 

ordination of women) that will test our ability to study and stand together to the utmost. Yes, we 

are delighted to see tremendous church growth in Africa, Central and South America, and some 

other parts of the world. Yet this church is not like any other church. It is not just another denomination. 

At the risk of being severely chastised by some of our readers for being arrogant and 

conceited—this is God’s end-time remnant, a visible part of the larger universal church of people 

who are ready to follow the Lamb wherever He leads. 

This claim is not based on sociological or historical realities—it is based on Scripture and 

detailed further in the prophetic word. It translates into a call to mission and transformation, 

sharing a special message in a special time—in 2013. 

I feel overwhelmed by the numbers. How can 17 million Adventists make a difference in a 

world of 7 billion? How can .24 percent reach the remaining 99.76 percent? Jesus used the imagery 

of yeast leavening dough. In His time everybody had seen this at home. I am sure they could 

not explain too well the involved chemical processes—but they saw it work. I cannot see exactly 

how we will do it, but we will, because God’s Spirit guides this movement. I cannot really tell how 

we will resolve our theological questions—but we will, if we keep following the Lamb. I cannot 

even project what will happen in the lives of my family in 2013—but I want to walk confidently 

holding my Savior’s hand. 

So, just for a moment, set aside the numbers, threats, issues, and to-do lists. Lift up your eyes— 

and know that your salvation is near. n 

* Edward Lucas, “Christianity at Bay,” The Economist, December 2012, p. 29. 


Living Examples 

In January I had the rare opportunity to spend a few winter 

days in Florida—Miami, to be exact. The weather was sunny, and the temperatures reached more 

than 80 degrees in the daytime. The chance to wear summer clothes in the middle of winter was 

pure delight. The climate was in stark contrast to the freezing temperatures at home in Maryland. 

But despite wonderful weather, the occasion was a solemn one. Our family came together to 

honor the life of my mother-in-law, Elizabeth Krigger, who passed away in December at age 92. 

More than 200 friends and family members packed the modest-sized church to celebrate her 

life. She was remembered with music, the spoken word, acknowledgments, and reflections from 

friends, children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren. The impact of her life was evident 

by the stories they shared, as well as the expressions of love that filled the service. 

As I reflected on the memorial, I couldn’t help realizing that the many acts of kindness my 

mother-in-law performed were a living example of what Christians everywhere should be about. 

By reaching out to neighbors, praying for a hurting coworker, or encouraging a young student or 

senior citizen, we are spreading the warm sunshine of Christ’s love and compassion in a cold, 

sinful world. 

Through acts of kindness we reflect the character of Christ to those around us. The apostle Paul 

said it well: “Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself 

wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into 

human lives” (2 Cor. 3:2, 3, Message).* 

As God looks into our lives He wants to see Himself. If we are willing, He will. n 

Carlos 

Medley 

* Texts credited to Message are from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 

2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. 

Say It Again! 

This month we remember the words from 

some Adventist African-Americans. 

FRANK HALE 

“If the General Conference, the union conferences, the local conferences, the publishing 

houses, the evangelists, the ministers, the missionaries, and the educational and medical 

institutions would all combine their powers to erase the smudge of racial segregation 

and discrimination among us, the whole system would crack and crumble overnight. 

Such a challenge is for us the living! I have no other plans but to accept this challenge.” 

—Former President of Oakwood College (1966-1971) to F. L. Peterson, May 3, 1961 

THE AEOLIANS 

“The Aeolians could sing passages from the phone book and still 

make you feel the presence of the Divine.” 

—Huntsville Times, November 1997. The Oakwood College (now University) choir, 

the Aeolians, have ministered through music since their organization in 1946. 

CHARLES BRADFORD 

“We need to recapture the word ‘movement’ and all that it implies.” 

—Former President of the North American Division (1979-1990), 1975 

Photos and quotes are courtesy of www.blacksdahistory.org. Visit the site for more information on African-American Adventists.

World News & Perspectives 

Photo: Rohann D. Wellington/GNYC 

MEMBERS IN TRAINING: Seventh-day Adventists from around the New York City metropolitan area listen 

to Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference, as part of a lay training series held throughout 

the region preparing for the NY13 evangelistic outreach. 

■■North America 

Adventists Prepare for 

New York City Outreach 

Training spans multiple sites; participants 

eager to reach neighbors for Christ. 

BY ADVENTIST REVIEW staff 

Hundreds of Seventh-day Adventists 

from the metropolitan New York area— 

where the overall population is estimated 

at 19 million, more than 50 

percent above that of metro Los Angeles—gathered 

at a series of January 

18-20, 2013, meetings to prepare for a 

major evangelistic outreach called NY13. 

The numbers, throughout the region, 

were impressive: 2,000 gathered at an 

auditorium at Hunter College in Manhattan 

for worship and training, and 

560 packed the Linden Seventh-day 

Adventist Church in Queens to attend 

Ernestine Finley’s Light Your World for 

God seminar on how to become an 

effective lay Bible instructor. 

More than 300 people—double the 

expected number—flocked to Harlem’s 

Fort Washington Spanish Seventh-day 

Adventist Church to hear Denzil McNeilus, 

a banker from Dodge Center, Minnesota, 

who represented the Adventistlaymen’s 

Services and Industries organization 

along with Robert Costa, General 

Conference evangelism coordinator, 

present a New Beginnings seminar to 

train lay preachers. 

Commenting on the attendees’ 

enthusiasm, McNeilus said, “I am convinced 

that there are thousands of laypeople 

waiting to be challenged to do 

something significant for the Lord. They 

just need to be trained and equipped.” 

Noted Seventh-day Adventist evangelist 

Mark Finley taught a class on how to 

organize home Bible study groups 

focusing on the book of Daniel. His 

seminar was attended by more than 170 

people and was held in Manhattan’s 

Greenwich Village Seventh-day Adventist 

Church, which in June will see General 

Conference president 

Ted N. C. Wilson preach 

an evangelistic series 

there. Wilson began his 

pastoral work as a ministerial 

intern at the Greenwich 

Village church. 

Along with the lay 

training events, more 

than 1,400 youth gathered 

in two locations sponsored 

by the Greater New 

York and Northeastern 

conferences. These young 

people were challenged to 

be part of something 

great for God and use 

their influence to touch 

their friends with the gospel 

during NY13. 

Don King, president of 

the Atlantic Union Conference 

of Seventh-day Adventists, 

declared, “NY13 is a united approach 

bringing us all together to focus on 

reaching people in this great metropolitan 

area for Jesus.” 

During NY13 approximately 400 

evangelistic meetings will be conducted 

in the metropolitan New York area. 

Hundreds of churches and thousands 

of church members will be involved, 

Adventist leaders said. 

The massive evangelistic outreach in 

New York City is part of the Seventhday 

Adventist Church’s Mission to the 

Cities initiative. Church leaders at every 

level of church organization have identified 

630 major cities worldwide to 

focus their evangelistic energies and 

resources on in the next three years. 

This comprehensive evangelistic 

approach blends biblical principles 

with the practical, divinely inspired 

counsels of the Spirit of Prophecy to 

reach people living in these urban centers 

with Jesus’ end-time message of 

hope for our time. 

More information about the New 

York City outreach is available online at 

www.ny13.org. n 

—with information from Mark Finley 

8 (136) 

| www.AdventistReview.org | February 21, 2013

■■SOUTH AMERICA 

Brazilian 

Adventists 

Help in Healing 

After Santa 

Maria Inferno 

In wake of nightclub fire 

that killed hundreds, blood 

drive, first aid given. 

By Felipe Lemos, ASN, 

reporting from Brasilia, Brazil 

Seventh-day Adventist young 

adults in Brazil rallied to donate blood in 

the wake of the world’s deadliest nightclub 

fire in more than a decade. 

At least 231 partygoers died, and 

some 200 were injured, on January 27, 

2013, when a band’s pyrotechnics display 

ignited ceiling insulation at a club 

in downtown Santa Maria, about 200 

miles west of Porto Alegre in the state of 

Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost 

state of Brazil. The fire released flames 

and toxic smoke into the panicked 

crowd, and a stampede broke out, 

media reports indicate. 

As victims flooded local hospitals, 

medical staff urgently appealed to the 

ready to donate: Young donors participated in the Vida por Vidas blood drive. 

photos courtesy ASN 

site of tragedy: A fire at a nightclub in downtown Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, 

Brazil, killed at least 231 people on January 27, 2013, and left hundreds injured, leaving 

area hospitals scrambling to restock blood banks. 

Adventist-run Vida por Vidas (“Life for 

Lives”) blood-donation organization in 

South America. The denomination is 

known for handling large-scale blood 

donation drives, especially in Brazil, 

where health officials estimate the project 

annually contributes 3.5 million 

units of blood. 

Blood donors gathered early on Sunday, 

January 27, at the Central Adventist 

Church in Santa Maria and immediately 

headed to the city’s Blood Donation 

Center, said Vida por Vidas coordinator 

Adriano Luz. 

Meanwhile, Adventist medical staff 

volunteered at local hospitals, among 

them Dr. Jocemara Fernandes, who 

received an emergency call to aid victims 

early Sunday morning. 

“The scene of horror and despair I 

witnessed was unprecedented in my 

experience,” Fernandes said. She has 

worked in a local emergency room for 

more than a decade. 

Fernandes treated at least 15 victims 

between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. on Sunday. 

“Most people had problems related 

to smoke inhalation,” she said. 

Another young victim suffered second-degree 

burns and had difficulty 

breathing, Fernandes said. Most victims 

were under the age of 30. 

“What we can do now is pray, for the 

injured and the bereaved families, that 

God will help them,” Fernandes said. 

Santa Maria mayor Cezar Schirmer 

declared a 30-day mourning period, and 

local authorities continue to investigate 

the cause of the blaze, according to 

media reports. 

Vida por Vidas was launched in 2006 

and is overseen by young Brazilian Seventh-day 

Adventists. n 



■■GREATER MIDDLE EAST UNION MISSION 

Lichtenwalter 

to Lead Islamic 

Studies, Theology 

Faculty at Middle 

East University 

Veteran Adventist theologian 

has taught at Andrews 

University for 12 years. 

By Rachel Lemons, deputy director 

of communications, Middle East 

University, writing from Beirut, Lebanon 

Meu photos 

URBAN OASIS: Larry Lichtenwalter praised the Middle East University campus 

as an oasis in the middle of Beirut. 

The religion of Islam and the Middle 

East region are firmly situated within the 

global spotlight of modern society. With 

such prominence it is vital that the Seventh-day 

Adventist Church develop a 

solid understanding of the region and its 

dominant religion in order to effectively 

minister to, and interact with, its diverse 

inhabitants and adherents. 

Within the Adventist community, 

Middle East University (MEU) envisions 

itself as the knowledge center on topics 

that relate to, or intersect with, the Middle 

Eastern region, its religions, its cultures, 

and its languages. Central to this 

vision is the development and expansion 

of the Institute of Islamic and Arabic 

Studies, along with the Faculty of 

Theology, to be headed—as of March 

2013—by veteran Seventh-day Adventist 

pastor and teacher Larry Lichtenwalter, 

whose appointment was recently 

announced. Lichtenwalter’s breadth of 

experience promises to bring a unique 

perspective to the expansion and maturation 

of the programs, school officials 

believe. 

Lichtenwalter has served as pastor of 

Village Seventh-day Adventist Church in 

Berrien Springs, Michigan, for the past 

27 years. During this time he saw his 

pastoral ministry evolve to include academic 

roles as well. He recounts that 

over the past 12 years he has taught a 

class almost every semester at the Seventh-day 

Adventist 

Theological Seminary 

at Andrews University. 

He is the author of 

eight books and has 

published articles in 

various publications, 

including Adventist 

Review and Dialogue, a 

Seventh-day Adventist 

journal for college 

students. 

In Lichtenwalter’s 

estimation the MEU 

campus “is a little 

haven amid all the concentrated 

city that’s 

around it. It’s a lovely 

campus, and it has 

potential and room for 

the addition of more 

buildings.” 

In addition to the 

potential of the campus, 

Lichtenwalter believes that the Faculty 

of Theology and the Institute of 

Islamic and Arabic Studies have the 

potential to flourish as well. When 

asked about his vision for the programs, 

he said, “I think we have some very 

exciting possibilities. There’s no doubt 

that the multicultural and contextual 

setting of MEU has a lot to offer to any 

young person thinking about what to 

do with their spiritual life or how to 

NEW DEAN: Larry Lichtenwalter, 

a veteran Seventh-day Adventist 

pastor and instructor at Andrews 

University, will head the Institute 

of Islamic and Arabic Studies, 

along with the Faculty of Theology, 

at Middle East University in 

Beirut, Lebanon. 

serve. Our world has 

become more and more 

multicultural in its perspective. 

I believe this 

campus can provide 

some diversity in the 

theological realm that 

some other schools 

would not be able to.” 

MEU aims to provide 

a theology program 

that complements 

those of its sister universities 

around the 

world by providing a 

semester abroad, which 

complements the theological 

curriculum they 

are studying at their 

home universities. In 

charting out MEU’s 

niche in the space of 

theological education, 

Lichtenwalter 

described “a curriculum, a program 

where you have your Islamic and Arabic 

component. That is what MEU is seeking 

to serve.” 

Lichtenwalter completed his 

undergraduate studies at Southern 

Adventist University and his Master 

of Divinity and Ph.D. at Andrews University. 

He is married to Kathie, and 

they have five sons and two daughtersin-law. 

n 


■■NORTH AMERICA 

Genesis Is Theme of 2013 VBS 

Program From AdventSource 

By Cassie Milnes Martsching, communication director, 

AdventSource, writing from Lincoln, Nebraska 

Exploring the Bible’s first book, 

Genesis, and learning fundamental 

truths about where the earth came from 

and God’s plan for their lives are activities 

provided for kids during Investigation 

Station: The Genesis Factor, the 

2013 Seventh-day Adventist Vacation 

Bible School program now available 

through AdventSource in Lincoln, 

Nebraska. 

Investigation Station: The Genesis 

Factor is an interactive VBS that teaches 

kids about Genesis and the God of creation. 

The kids, who act as junior investigators, 

will receive daily assignments 

related to the theme. As they travel 

through the daily learning stations, they 

will gather clues that will help them 

answer the question of the day. 

Each day the kids will dig into a Bible 

story found in Genesis, and they will 

learn that: 

God created the universe. 

God blessed the seventh day. 

God made rules that were broken. 

God is ready to save us. 

God helps us start over. 

Kids will also learn how science and 

nature support the Bible by watching 

interactive video segments featuring 

Rich Aguilera, Guide magazine creation 

columnist. 

A team of Seventh-day Adventist pastors, 

children’s ministry professionals, 

and VBS leaders developed the lessons 

with a passion for sharing the real creation 

story and God’s plan of redemption. 

Investigation Station contains 

Seventh-day Adventist beliefs including 

God as the Creator, the seventh-day Sabbath, 

baptism, and heaven. Each lesson 

is specifically designed to connect with 

commun ity children while engaging 

GENESIS THEME: 

The Bible’s first 

book, Genesis, is the 

theme of Investigation 

Station, the 

2013 Vacation Bible 

School kit from 

AdventSource. 

Adventist children in learning biblical 

truths. 

“VBS is one of the most effective outreach 

programs a church can offer,” 

AdventSource said in a statement. “Provide 

the families in your church and 

community with a fun and uplifting 

experience they will not forget by conducting 

the Investigation Station VBS at 

your church,” the group added. 

This program is available from 

AdventSource, at www.adventsource.org 

or 402-486-8800, or the Adventist Book 

Center, at 800-765-6955, or www.advent 

istbookcenter.com. The Investigation 

Station is available in English and 

Spanish. 

Investigation Station VBS was created 

by the Children’s Ministries Department 

of the North American Division in partnership 

with the Review and Herald Publishing 

Association and AdventSource. n 

Photo: adventsource 

■■GERMANY 

ADRA Germany 

Gains New 

Leader 

Molke follows Lischek, who 

started group 27 years ago 

By Adventist Press 

Service, Switzerland 

The Seventh-day Adventist pastor 

who founded and led the German branch 

of the Adventist Development and Relief 

Agency, ADRA, has retired after more than 

a quarter century in that role. 

“It is not difficult for me to retire 

from the management of ADRA Germany, 

because I know that my successor, 

Photos: Copyright © ADRA Germany 

LEADERSHIP CHANGE: Erich Lischek, left, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, retired 

recently as ADRA Germany country director. At right, Christian Molke, who is the new 

country director. 



Christian, will meet the challenges of 

the international ADRA network,” 

declared Erich Lischek. He is leaving 

after organizing and developing ADRA 

since 1986. “As relief agencies we have 

learned to join forces in major disasters. 

I am grateful that I was able to support 

these efforts.” 

Lischek established ADRA Germany in 

Darmstadt in 1987, starting with only 

one part-time secretary. ADRA now has 

28 employees and 10 volunteers in the 

headquarters in Weiterstadt, close to 

Darmstadt. The charity also offers an 

apprenticeship in office communication. 

Günther Machel, chair of the ADRA 

Germany board, thanked Erich Lischek: 

“From a humble beginning ADRA has 

become a major relief agency. Lischek 

has shaped ADRA Germany, and he will 

continue to cooperate as managing 

director of the ADRA Foundation.” 

Christian Molke, also a Seventh-day 

Adventist pastor, is the new ADRA director, 

having begun his work in January 

2013. Previously he led the Seventh-day 

Adventist Church in the federal states of 

Hessen, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland, 

with 65 churches, 4,600 members, 

and 34 pastors. Molke transitioned to 

his new task in the summer of 2012. 

ADRA Germany is part of the global 

ADRA network, with 120 country offices. 

It is also a member of the country’s Joint 

Welfare Association (Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband) 

and cofounder of the 

Association of German Development 

NGOs (VENRO), Relief Germany, and 

Together 4 Africa. In cooperation with 

the Weltwärts project of the German 

state, ADRA Germany sends approximately 

15 volunteers per year to support 

projects in Albania, Costa Rica, 

India, Kenya, Mexico, Moldova, and Tanzania. 

For additional information about 

ADRA Germany, visit the English-language 

section of the group’s Web site 

at www.adra.de/en/english.html. n 

■■NORTH PACIFIC UNION 

Hoover to Lead 

Upper Columbia 

Conference, Succeeding 

Folkenberg, Jr. 

Veteran pastor, administrator moves 

from Georgia-Cumberland Conference. 

By Jay Wintermeyer, Upper Columbia 

Conference communication director, 

reporting from Spokane, Washington 

Paul Hoover accepted the call to serve as president for 

the Upper Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. 

He will serve as president following Bob Folkenberg, Jr.’s 

recent move to the China Union Mission. 

Hoover says, “On behalf of Patti and myself, we want 

you to know we are deeply honored and humbled to accept 

the opportunity to serve with so many dedicated wonderful 

people. We look forward to following God’s leading 

and becoming a part of the Upper Columbia Conference 

family.” 

Hoover, currently vice president for administration for 

the Georgia-Cumberland Conference, grew up in several 

places around the world, as his father was in the military. 

He was baptized into the Adventist Church in 1977 in 

Tampa, Florida. Hoover attended Southern Adventist University, 

where he graduated in 1980 with a bachelor’s 

degree in theology, and then from Andrews University in 

1983 with a Master of Divinity degree. 

Photo: Upper Columbia Conference 

CONFERENCE LEADER: Paul Hoover, left, a veteran Seventhday 

Adventist pastor and administrator, is the new president 

of the Upper Columbia Conference, headquartered in Spokane, 

Washington. Patti, at right, is his wife and a registered 

nurse. 

He served as pastor in the Kentucky-Tennessee, Oklahoma, 

and Georgia-Cumberland conferences. In 1991 he 

accepted a call to the Georgia-Cumberland Conference and 

pastored the Smyrna-King Springs church and Calhoun, 

Georgia, church. He earned a Doctor of Ministry degree 

from Andrews University in 2001. 

Hoover enjoys running, golf, road biking, and spending 

time with his family. His wife, Patti, is a registered nurse. 

They have two grown sons. n 


Illustration: © Phil McKay/good salt.com 

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) 

Jots and Tittles (church-related tips) 

Camp Meeting Memories (short, 

humorous and/or profound anecdotes) 

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 

adventist life 

Me: “Chloe, guess what? You get to have lunch with your favorite guy in the world!” 

Chloe: “I get to have lunch with God?” 

I explained to my young daughter that she would be having lunch with her secondfavorite 

guy in the world—Daddy. 

—Heather Cross Young, Nashville, Tennessee 

Morning conversation with 2-year-old Noah: 

“Do you know what today is?” I asked with a big smile on my face. 

Noah: “Sabbath!” 

“No, Noah, today’s only Monday. Today is another special day. Your birthday!” 

For him, the only special day is Sabbath! 

—Wendy Engelmann, Germany 

“When no one else would 

be caught dead with us, 

He was not ashamed 

to call us brothers.” 

—Pastor Jim Howard, during 

his December 22, 2012, Christmas 

sermon. 

herald’s trumpet 

Hi, kids! Herald’s trumpet is once again hidden 

somewhere in this magazine. If you find it, send a postcard 

telling us where. Be sure to include your name and 

address! Then we’ll randomly choose three winning 

postcards. 

In our last contest (November 15, 2012) we stumped 

almost everyone! We had 4 entries. Who were the winners? 

Micah Garcia, from Albuquerque, New Mexico; 

Alex Meier, from Beltsville, Maryland; and Ilcias Vargas, 

Jr., from Ringgold, Georgia. Each received a book from 

Pacific Press and a KidsView beach ball. Where was the 

trumpet? On page 29. 

If you can find the trumpet this time, send your postcard 

to Herald’s Trumpet, Adventist Review, 12501 Old 

Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600. The 

prize will be . . . a surprise! Look for the three winners’ 

names in the May 9, 2013, edition of the Adventist 

Review. Have fun searching, and keep trumpeting 

Jesus’ love—and His second coming! 

© terry crews 


Devotional 

P 

FEEL 

the 

ower 

Comparing Peter 

at Pentecost 

and Saul 

at Ramah 

BY 

HOMER 

TRECARTIN 

Click, click, click, click, click. With 

a sinking feeling in the pit of 

your stomach you get out 

and look under the hood, 

whether or not you know 

what to look for. You text a friend, call 

AAA, or just stand there gazing longingly 

at any approaching vehicle. 

Jumper cables? You flail them at passersby. 

At last some angel arrives, hooks 

up the cables, and signals you to stick 

the key in the ignition and turn. Vrrrrrooooommmm! 

Ah, power! 

We may not understand our cars, but 

we understand the need for power. We 

purchase gadgets that plug into our 

phones or computers to provide a boost 

of power. Our heat pumps and cars 

often have a setting that gives us a quick 

blast of heat or cold. Advertising bombards 

us every day, promising us a sudden 

rush of energy if we will just eat, 

drink, or swallow this or that. Oh, yes. 

We believe in power. 

There were no cars, power adapters, 

or energy drinks in Bible times. And 

many of us do not understand the 

Bible’s farming language about early 

and latter rains. But we do get the talk 

about power—Holy Spirit power, latterrain 

power. We get the power talk. We 

want to hook up jumper cables! 

Power for What? 

We love to talk about the promise in 

Joel 2:28, 29: sons and daughters prophesying, 

old men dreaming, servants 

Spirit-anointed. But what’s the power 

for? Why do we pray for latter-rain 

power? What do we think it will accomplish? 

A ripened harvest? Not primarily. 

The harvest is already ripe, Jesus 

declared; we should pray for laborers. 

Stirred-up laborers then, His sleeping 

church? Now, that sounds good! Like 

hooking up to heaven’s jumper cables 

for one final jolt of power! Like latterrain 

energy propelling us from rocking 

chairs out into the world with the final 

message! Perhaps. 


Before we settle back in those rockers 

to wait for the rain, let us ask ourselves: 

Could not God pour out His Spirit on a 

sleeping church? Could He not suddenly 

and powerfully speak through dozing 

saints to call the world to repentance? 

He spoke through Balaam’s donkey. He 

can make stones cry out. 

But is that the planet’s need? Talking 

animals, crying stones, sleep-talking 

saints? Remember, the talking donkey 

didn’t convert Balaam, and the promise 

of shouting stones didn’t convert the 

Jewish leaders. Besides, might it be that 

our nodding and dozing actually robs 

us of the rain? Too late we may discover 

that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 

was taking place all around us, and we 

didn’t even notice. 

King Saul 

In 1 Samuel 19:19-24 Saul learns that 

David is with the prophet Samuel in 

Ramah. He sends contingent after contingent 

of soldiers to capture him, but 

the Holy Spirit overpowers them all, and 

they begin to prophesy. Finally, completely 

frustrated, Saul sets out to seize 

David himself. The Spirit overwhelms 

him too, and, prostrated naked before 

Samuel, he prophesies all that day and 

night. But though these soldiers all 

prophesied, they were not changed. Nor 

was anyone converted who listened to 

King Saul. People simply mocked: “Did 

you see that? Looks like Saul has become 

one of the prophets!” 

What makes the difference between 

Peter at Pentecost and Saul at Ramah? 

Nothing good came of Saul’s overpowering. 

He simply made a fool of himself. 

For in reality the Holy Spirit’s power is 

effective only if our lives match the message. 

Saul’s life did not match the message 

he was giving while under the 

power of the Holy Spirit. He had not let 

the Spirit mold, shape, and change him 

all along. When the power came over 

him, the temporary contrast was so 

great that it just made people laugh. The 

power he experienced didn’t last, and it 

didn’t change him, or anyone else, one 

single iota. 

The final, mighty outpouring of the 

Holy Spirit doesn’t change the direction 

we have been going, either. Its power 

simply pushes us farther and faster to 

wherever we were already headed. 

To come back to our jumper cable 

illustration, if my tires are flat and my 

radiator punctured, the power surging 

through the cables will do nothing to 

get me where I am going. Connecting 

red to positive and black to negative and 

getting ignition will not suddenly transform 

my car. The power surge will not 

even send me in a new direction. 

Temporary bursts of power, even 

those from heaven, do not force us to 

change direction; they only push us on 

Nothing good 

came of Saul’s 

overpowering. 

He simply made a 

fool of himself. 

in the direction we are already heading. 

And they are effective only if the rest of 

the system is in proper operating order. 

This is why we so desperately need 

revival and reformation. Our hearts 

must know the gentle working of the 

Holy Spirit now, not just a power surge 

sometime tomorrow. 

Is the Soil Ready? 

Joel’s promise of rain and a full 

threshing floor (Joel 2:23, 24) will never 

be fulfilled if nothing is planted before 

the rains come. The vats will overflow 

with juice and oil only if vineyards and 

olive groves have been planted and 

tended. The latter rain does not change 

the crop, it only enhances what is 

already planted in the soil. 

When I plant and fertilize, everything 

is ready. The rains then make it grow. 

What comes up is what is there already. 

The same is true when the latter rain 

ripens the harvest. It brings wheat and 

weeds to maturity. It does not change 

what is in the field. 

My wife, Barbara, and I were on our 

way to the airport in Delhi, India. The 

night clerk from the hotel was riding 

along in the hotel taxi with us. His eyes 

were heavy from being up all night, and 

his head was nodding. He was going 

home to rest. 

Suddenly, unexpectedly, a few big 

drops of rain splattered on the windshield. 

Almost instantly his eyes perked 

up. Softly, excitedly, he looked back and 

said, “Look, sir, the rain has come.” Then 

he turned back to watch. Gone were the 

tired lines around his eyes. His back was 

straight; his lips curved in a slight smile. 

This was no downpour, just a couple of 

stray drops of water on a dusty road. To 

the young hotel clerk those drops were 

filled with hope and promise. Rain was 

coming at last. 

I, too, have seen the rain beginning to 

fall. Jesus is about to return. Seeds are 

being planted. People are praying 

together, pleading with God to soften 

the soil of their minds, asking the Lord 

of the harvest to send out laborers, praying 

for the outpouring of the latter rain. 

This will not be merely a burst of 

temporary power. When this power 

comes, it won’t be for just a day, and it 

won’t embarrass us. It will finish the 

work that we have allowed God’s Spirit 

to begin in our hearts and lives today. 

Look, sir, look, madam, the rain has 

come! n 

Homer Trecartin is president 

of the Greater Middle East 

Union Mission. 


Cover Story 

CARLTON BYRD 

TAKES NEW 

YORK BY 

STORM 

And Los Angeles, 

Atlanta, Nashville, 

Huntsville . . . 

By 

Celeste 

Ryan 

Blyden 

Image digitally altered from a photograph by Dawin Rodriguez. 

Carlton Byrd always felt that he was born to 

pastor, born to preach, born to be an evangelist. 

He grew up in the ministry, grew up wanting to 

be a pastor, and loves to speak. Now he speaks 

many times a week and sometimes twice a 

Sabbath. On this particular night he’s in the Bronx, a borough 

of New York City, preparing to speak for the NY13 kickoff rally 

at the North Bronx Seventh-day Adventist Church. And he 

can hardly wait to preach, to fire up the base and get 

members here excited about the 2013 major city evangelism 

campaign set to blanket the city that never sleeps. 


It’s the first of hundreds being organized 

by the worldwide Adventist 

Church, but for Byrd, it’s another opportunity 

to further Christ’s mission: “I love 

the Lord, I love people, I want to go to 

heaven, and I want to take as many people 

with me as I can,” he states, flashing 

the signature smile he wears above his 

signature bow tie. “God called us to take 

this wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ to 

everyone, everywhere, and I’m just glad I 

get to do it full-time.” 

Photo: Celeste Ryan Blyden 

“I Ran to Ministry” 

Full-time, Byrd is a pastor, evangelist, 

and the newest speaker/director for 

Breath of Life (BOL), the television ministry 

founded 39 years ago by Walter Arties 

to bring hope and guidance to the African-American 

community. Thousands 

have accepted Christ through its evangelism 

efforts, often held in stadiums and 

major venues in cities across North 

America and other parts of the world. 

Byrd, whose nickname is “Buddy,” took 

the helm just two years ago at age 38 and 

was glad to get the opportunity 

to follow in the 

footsteps of the revered 

C. D. Brooks and Walter 

Pearson, Jr., his predecessors. 

Though it has been 

only a short time, he’s 

hoping his message will 

penetrate the noise that 

convolutes today’s urban 

community. 

It’s getting through in Long Island, 

New York, where Alecia Anderson 

watches Breath of Life on Friday evenings. 

“Can I take a photo with you?” 

asked the 20-year-old member of Long 

Island’s Riverhead church soon after 

Byrd arrived at North Bronx. The flash 

of Byrd’s smile prompted the flash of 

her father’s camera, and then it was on. 

After her father, Orley Anderson, got a 

turn, others jumped up. 

“He’s my favorite preacher,” said Orley, 

who identified himself as the first elder of 

the Riverhead church. Orley arrived two 

hours before the announced NY13 program 

time to secure a seat. “He makes the 

message so clear and simple. He’s a powerful 

[speaker], sure of what he’s saying.” 

Alecia, who relished meeting Byrd, 

agreed. “He’s inspiring, and I understand 

what he’s saying.” 

That may be because Byrd understands—his 

calling, his purpose, and 

what it takes to do ministry. “Ministry 

is service,” he told me afterward as we 

sat in the tiny, white-walled media room 

in the attic of the church overlooking 

the sprawling two-story sanctuary of 

the North Bronx church. Byrd is constantly 

engaged in ministry. And surrounded 

by it. His dad, William Byrd, is 

a pastor in West Palm Beach, Florida, 

and his mom, Carol Byrd, is superintendent 

of education for the Southeastern 

Conference, headquartered in an 

Orlando suburb. His father-in-law, too, 

is a pastor. In early years Byrd memorized 

the conference directory, read and 

filed letters for his dad, and attended 

many weeks of prayer and tent meetings, 

all because, as he put it, “I wanted 

to be there.” And he adds, “I was born to 

do this.” 

Byrd didn’t run from God’s call. He ran 

to it. “I arrived at Oakwood [College, now 

University] knowing what I needed to 

do,” he recounted with surety. “Some pastors 

told me to run [away], but I didn’t.” 

He’s been running ever since, trying 

to follow a path paved by the renowned 

Adventist pastors and evangelists who 

influenced his life—his dad, E. C. Ward, 

Pearson, Brooks, Benjamin Reaves, and 

E. E. Cleveland. 

Path to Success 

His first assignment out of Oakwood 

was to pastor the South Central Conference’s 

Laurel, Columbia, and Soso, Mississippi, 

congregations, which probably 

could have met in his car. The Laurel 

church, for example, had two members. 

“I didn’t worry about that because I 

knew it was going to grow,” he mused. 

“I worked hard, cut the grass at the 

church, painted—anything that was 

needed, I did it.” 

He also conducted a series that 

yielded three baptisms. This increased 

the membership by 150 percent, making 

Byrd the top evangelist per capita in 

the conference that year. At summer’s 

end the conference sent him to the Seventh-day 

Adventist Theological Seminary 

at Andrews University in Berrien 

Springs, Michigan, to complete his Master 

of Divinity degree. Later he earned 

an M.B.A. at Tennessee State University 

in Nashville, and a Doctor of Ministry 

with an emphasis in African-American 

religious studies at Andrews. 

After graduating, Byrd was sent to 

pastor in Tuscaloosa and Eutaw, Alabama, 

where he ran his first tent effort 

and baptized 19 people. This was followed 

by Nashville, where he pastored a 

“God called us to take 

this wonderful gospel of 

Jesus Christ to everyone, 

everywhere, and I’m just 

glad I get to do it full-time.” 

FAITHFUL VIEWERS: During the NY13 event this past fall, Carlton Byrd poses with Orley and Alecia Anderson. 

new church plant and baptized 300 people 

in four years. That’s where Byrd 

believes he really became an evangelist. 

It’s also where he started doing what he 

dubbed “tract attacks,” which involve 

identifying a community, going door to 

door, soliciting Bible studies, and praying 

with people. Byrd tries to recruit the 

entire church to participate. On Sabbath, 

right after worship and before 

lunch, members take to the streets and 

take communities for Christ. 

The method also worked in Houston, 

Texas, where Byrd baptized 500 people 

in three years and then in Atlanta, Georgia, 

where he baptized 1,800 in five 

years and grew the church to include 


The responsibility of 

leading such a large 

church and Breath of Life 

simultaneously hasn’t 

slowed [Byrd] down. If 

anything, it has spurred 

[him] to want more, do 

more, dream more. 

FAMILY TIME: Carlton Byrd, with wife, Danielle, and daughters Caileigh (10, on left) and Christyn (12). 

4,000 members, two services, a 

50-apartment senior citizen housing 

complex, barbershop, beauty salon, 

health fitness center, food pantry, clothing 

distribution center, youth activity 

center, vegetarian sub shop and juice 

bar, and a women’s shelter. 

Byrd has just completed his first year 

in Huntsville, Alabama, as senior pastor 

of the Oakwood University church, 

where he’s currently based. Sure 

enough, not long after he arrived, he was 

in the pulpit promoting “tract attack 

Sabbath.” About 1,500 of his 2,000 members 

joined him, and after just eight 

months and one meeting they’d baptized 

about 200 new believers. 

The responsibility of leading such a 

large church and Breath of Life simultaneously 

hasn’t slowed him down. If 

anything, it has spurred Byrd to want 

more, do more, dream more. “I’m 

excited, invigorated, on fire for the 

Lord,” he beams. 

And still running. Byrd dashed from 

our interview to another with Hope 

Channel cohost David Franklin in the 

sanctuary of the North Bronx church. 

It’s Friday night in the Bronx, but last 

Sabbath Byrd was in Atlanta. Tuesday he 

traveled here to New York, Wednesday 

he held a BOL rally at the Linden church 

in Queens, followed by another at 

Elmont Temple in Long Island Thursday 

night. Tomorrow he’ll preach the 11:00 

service at the Ephesus church in Harlem. 

Then he’ll make his way to the 

Brooklyn-based Hanson Place church 

for a 6:00 event. Sunday he’ll officiate a 

funeral at his home church in Huntsville, 

on Monday and Tuesday he’ll hold 

BOL board and executive committee 

meetings at the North American Division 

(NAD) offices in Silver Spring, 

Maryland, and then head home to conduct 

Wednesday night prayer meeting. 

Afterward he’ll reunite with Danielle, 

his wife of 15 years, and their 12- and 

10-year-old daughters, Christyn and 

Caileigh. 

Listening to his itinerary I wondered 

aloud if anything had ever slowed him 

down. Challenged him, stopped him. 

“My daughter,” he said, suddenly getting 

quiet. “She was 4-and-a-half 

months old.” 

Stopped in His Tracks 

The story unfolds: “It was September 

25th, 1999. We left the north side of 

Nashville en route to Tuscaloosa to 

speak for an event at the church I’d pastored 

early on. We had been having car 

trouble; our car wasn’t sounding right. 

On the south side of town, we stopped 

at our head elder’s home. He switched 

cars with us and we took his SUV. Fourteen 

miles from our destination, the car 

started doing flips. We were all knocked 

unconscious. When I came to, I was 

lying in the median. We all were. My 

wife started screaming. Our daughter 

was not moving. The ambulance came 

and took our daughter to one hospital, 

us to another. When I got to where she 

was, she was on a respirator. The next 

day the physician told me that if she 

didn’t wake up by noon of the following 

day, they would take her off 

the respirator.” 

The Byrds prayed and 

prayed. “We just knew she 

was going to make it. I knew 

she was going to make it. But 

she died in my arms,” he said. 

“I was mad at God. I said, ‘I 

labor for You as a minister; why 

would You allow this to happen 

to me? I don’t smoke, I 

don’t drink, I got married and 

then had kids.’ My life had been 

very ordered,” he explained. “I 

did things the way they were 

supposed to be done— 

ordered. Yet here was a real tragedy that 

happened to [us]. I didn’t read it in the 

paper, it didn’t happen to somebody else, 

it happened to us.” 

“How did you get through it?” I asked. 

“Prayer,” came the answer, “a whole 

heap of prayer. 

“I tell people, ‘God wouldn’t take you 

to it if He couldn’t bring you through it.’ 

Even though you can’t see it and you 

don’t understand it, and it doesn’t make 

sense . . . God will bring you through the 

storm. He will, He will, He will, He will,” 

he repeated until his voice trailed off. 

A few weeks later, Byrd, 27 at the 

time, came across, as if for the first 

photo: Dawin Rodriguez 

Photo courtesy of the Byrd family 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: During Carlton Byrd’s sermon 


casts airing on Hope Channel, which 

also airs on DirecTV 368; Three Angels 

Broadcasting Network; the Word Network; 

and local subsidiaries in Atlanta 

and Huntsville. And John Huynh, an 

intern also based at the media center, 

helped Byrd develop a presence on Facebook 

and Twitter, an online store, and a 

mobile app to allow smartphone users 

easy access to sermon archives. He also 

e-mails three-minute Breath of Fresh Air 

devotional videos that contain edited 

snippets of Byrd’s sermons and serve as 

spiritual appetizers for recipients. 

In the pastor’s study at the North 

Bronx church, the driven and choleric 

Byrd also wants to share some needs. 

“We need to get Breath of Life on some 

mainstream television networks, and, 

even there, I will continue to preach 

[Adventist] doctrine because people 

need to know what we believe and that 

we’re a Christian community that celebrates 

Christ by keeping His commandments,” 

he said. 

In addition, Byrd sees a need to book the 

half-hour preaching program on subsidiary 

networks in major metropolitan areas 

so when he prepares to conduct a series of 

meetings, the church can promote it and 

locals can view it before the evangelistic 

meeting begins in the community. 

This brought him 

to the need for 

usable, televisionquality 

programs. 

“Though there are 

churches that bear 

our name, we also 

need to establish 

some televisionready, 

satellite BOL 

churches,” he said. 

“These churches 

should be seekersensitive, 

missionoriented, 

and in a 

nice facility, because 

they will be the face 

of Adventism to 

viewers.” 

Finally, Byrd 

believes BOL needs 

an outreach compotime, 

1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation 

has overtaken you except such as is 

common to man; but God is faithful, 

who will not allow you to be tempted 

beyond what you are able, but with the 

temptation will also make the way of 

escape, that you may be able to bear it” 

(NKJV). 

“God spared my life,” Byrd now concludes, 

“because I wasn’t ready; or perhaps 

He still had a work for me to do; or 

maybe it was all of the above. I surmised 

that it’s all of the above.” 

As a result Byrd is more passionate 

about the mission. “I’m not just talking, 

I’ve lived it,” he says, “I’ve lived [through] 

tragedy and survived. . . . My sense of 

urgency for the second coming has 

grown tremendously.” 

at NY13, congregants raise their hands to an appeal. 

Needs and Next Steps 

Since December 2010, when he took 

over the storied, albeit financially 

strapped, media ministry, Byrd has 

traveled extensively to raise awareness, 

raise funds, and conduct evangelism 

initiatives. The field services arm, 

directed by Danielle, is reaching out to 

donors with personal letters and 

updates. BOL manager Linda Walter, 

based at the Adventist Media Center in 

Simi Valley, California, keeps the broadnent, 

so that when a natural disaster 

occurs they’ll have people on the ground 

ready to help. “We need to be actively 

engaged in community ministry and service,” 

he concluded before heading to the 

platform to share a sermon from Acts 21 

titled “Prison Break.” 

Fired Up 

Then, just as Alecia Anderson from 

Long Island and her dad, Orley, expected, 

Byrd presented a simple and clear message 

punctuated by Bible reading, storytelling, 

and his trademark doxology. 

As good people of the Book, the Friday 

night worshippers of various hues 

and cultures didn’t miss a beat. “The 

church that prays together,” Byrd 

started, testing the waters. 

“Stays together!” they finished in 

unison. 

“ ‘For he shall give his angels charge over 

thee,’ ” he quoted Psalm 91:11 (KJV) . . . 

“ ‘To keep thee in all thy ways!’ ” they 

rejoiced. 

“ ‘No weapon formed against thee,’ ” 

he began, citing Isaiah 54:17 (KJV) . . . 

“ ‘Shall prosper,’ ” they cheered. 

Some were now on their feet, and 

when Byrd moved from texts to songs, 

they quickly chimed in: “ ‘If it had not 

been for the Lord on my side,’ ” he 

crooned in melodious tenor, “ ‘Where 

would I be?’ ” they chorused. 

With the hour spent, the sweat pouring, 

and his mission of firing up the 

base accomplished, Byrd brought the 

message home: “Let’s take New York by 

storm!” he shouted to thunderous 

applause. “Let’s take New York by 

storm! Let’s take (pause) New York 

(pause) by storm!” 

He did. And they will. n 

Celeste Ryan Blyden enjoys 

telling stories about what God 

is doing in and through His 

people in the Columbia Union, 

where she serves as communication 

director. 


Cliff’s Edge 

A Self-refuting Phrase 

Funny how you can read a text for years, then read it again 

expecting nothing new but finding something new. 

“And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of 

life; and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7, KJV). 

The Hebrew reads that God formed “the man,” as in one person. The words “his nostrils” reflects the 

singular again, as does the phrase “and the man became a living being” (NIV). The relevant verbs and nouns 

and possessive pronouns in Genesis 2:7 show that one man, the man, was created. 

In contrast, Genesis 1:26 reads: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in our image, according to our 

likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air’ ” (NKJV). In this verse 

“man” comes without the definite article “the.” The word “man” refers here to humanity, plural, as 

revealed in the clause that immediately follows: “and let them [plural] have dominion over the 

fish of the sea.” 

In Genesis 2:7 “the man,” this one man, is created first; then afterward God breathed into 

“his nostrils the breath of life” and that man became “a living being.” 

Now, what good are nostrils without lungs? And human lungs are useless without blood. 

And human blood demands a heart. And a heart needs (among many things) a sophisticated 

nervous system, which in a human means a brain. If the man had nostrils, he had 

a face, and if he had a face, he had a head, which means a skull, and so forth. 

Everything about that text implies that the man was created as a whole entity first, but a 

lifeless one. Only after having a complete human body did he become a “living being.” 

Thus, if I take at face value my theistic evolutionary friends’ claims to revere the Scriptures, I 

ask them in all sincerity, How can evolution be harmonized with this text? Can’t you see an irreconcilable 

contradiction between it and even the broadest evolutionary scheme? Why would the 

Lord have inspired the writing of this creation model when, in fact, He used an entirely different 

one? What good is the text if the opposite of what it teaches is true? 

Because science points to the evolutionary model, we have no choice but to meld the two. Yet evolutionary 

science is at best—what? Twenty percent of hard-core empirical evidence stretched and extrapolated 

into 80 percent speculation shaped by metaphysical assumptions constructed around 

culture, peer pressure, psychology, philosophy, and other variables that have little to do with 

immediate science. Why pit such subjectivity against an explicit biblical text? 

Also, evolutionary theory is based on natural selection and random mutation. That’s natural, as opposed 

to supernatural, selection. And random mutation? How random could that be if God was guiding it along? The 

names of these processes themselves rule out divine intervention, making the phrase “theistic evolution” 

self-refuting. 

Richard DeWitt, in Worldviews: An Introduction to the History and Philosophy of Science, writes: “So if one adds 

a supernatural involvement into the account of evolution by natural selection, say by allowing a God to 

meddle in the evolutionary process, then it is no longer natural selection. One is no longer taking natural 

science, and evolutionary theory, seriously. In short, taking natural science seriously means that an account 

of evolutionary development that is importantly influenced by a supernatural being is not an intellectually 

honest option” (p. 313, Kindle edition). 

He said it, not me. 

Usually at this point I begin to snort, chortle, and rail. I don’t want to now. Instead, I humbly ask someone 

to explain to me how you can, with a straight face, meld Genesis 2:7 with an evolutionary model of 

origins. 

We all have to put our faith in something. What I don’t understand is how those who claim to believe in 

the Bible can put their faith in what is, in light of Genesis 2:7, so contradictory to it. n 

Cliff 

Goldstein 

Clifford Goldstein is editor of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide. His latest book, Shadow Men, is available from 

Signs Publishing in Australia. 


As I See It 

Smartphones, 

smart apps, 

smart spirituality 

BY 

by VINCENT MACISAAC 

WE promising to be a game 

live in a world that not only 

craves but demands the next 

big gadget breakthrough 

changer. Even major international news services 

such as CNN are quick to stream “keynotes” from 

Tim Cook, the new CEO of Apple, that promise to 

change our lives. We know the names of the CEOs 

of computer companies as if they were baseball, 

football, or music stars. It seems all that Tim Cook 

(and the late Steve Jobs), Eric Schmidt, Mark 

Zuckerberg, and Steve Ballmer are missing are 

trading cards with their quarterly earning stats on 

them—but then I bet there is already an app that 

can do that for us. 


We can’t fight it. This world is changing, 

and those who don’t keep up will be 

left behind. Even e-mail is currently 

scheduled to be a dead medium. It is literally 

yesterday’s news. Instead Facebook, 

Google+, and a host of other 

instant social media platforms are giving 

us a taste of our immediate tomorrows. 

It’s like the Verizon 4G LTE commercials 

say: “That is so four seconds ago!” 

Church and Technology 

I am glad to note that our church is 

not being “left behind” or showing up 

as “Johnny came late” to the party! 

Major Adventist media groups sport 

apps, churches are streaming services to 

a worldwide audience, church buildings 

are being equipped with Wi-Fi, and 

every day my Sabbath school app pops 

up on my Droid Bionic reminding me to 

study my Sabbath school lesson. Preachers 

regularly preach from iPads, Kindles, 

and a variety of electronic tablets. People 

who are traveling in this digital world 

Skype into board meetings, and conferences 

are held in Google+ hangouts all 

the time. Printed agendas are becoming 

a thing of the past as my church leaders 

prefer to show up to committee meetings 

with laptops and tablets instead. 

Most important, we see the gospel reach 

places where just five or 10 years ago it 

would have been impossible to have a 

digital presence. I cannot help hearing 

the words of Jesus echo in my ear: “And 

this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed 

throughout the whole world as 

a testimony to all nations, and then the 

end will come” (Matt. 24:14). 1 

Beware of the Technology Pit 

So, is there a downside to all of this? I 

mean, what more can we want when the 

church is keeping relevant and the gospel 

is being preached? Is this not a 

dream come true for us? 

Yet I worry. I worry about the environment 

we are creating in which church 

members and, yes, even pastors openly 

chastise each other over our technology 

Let’s use 

current 

technology 

to transform 

the world, 

and at 

the same 

time, let’s 

not be 

transformed 

by it. 

choices. I worry about a 

world in which someone 

using an Apple, a 

Droid, or (dare I say it) 

a PC is like declaring 

yourself openly a 

Republican or Democrat, 

or, worse yet, a 

theological liberal or 

conservative. Wait, 

wasn’t the whole point 

of technology to bring 

us together, not tear us 

apart? Can we afford to 

let it tear us apart? And 

what does it say about 

us as a society and as 

members of a worldwide 

community of 

faith when we only 

dream of the next “latest 

and greatest” gadgets? 

We toss out or 

“Craigslist” perfectly good technology 

rather than come to church and be seen 

with last year’s model smartphone or 

tablet. When I think of the counsel our 

forefathers were given about costly living 

and self-adornment I wonder if we 

just found a new way of doing the same 

old sins covered in those “little red 

books” written more than 100 years 

ago—and, ironically, all available in an 

app on my tablet? 

Don’t get me wrong. I am not antitechnology 

whatsoever. Rather, on the 

contrary, my church members have 

affectionately called me “the technology 

pastor,” and I have innovated new uses 

of interchurch services via Internet 

streaming in my conference. But as Jim 

Collins so poignantly said: “When used 

right, technology becomes an accelerator 

of momentum, not a creator of it.” 2 

I am reminded of the words of the old 

hymn: Our “hope is built on nothing 

less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” 

Here is my point: Let’s use current 

technology to transform the world, and at the 

same time, let’s not be transformed by it. God 

surely is the ultimate Creator of technology, 

and He has allowed it to surface 

right now for a purpose. We better not 

be like the Gentiles in Romans 1 who 

worshipped the creation and not the 

Creator. Let’s not forget that there will 

come a time when it is all shut off. Let’s 

not make “iDols” of our technology, 

engaging in the world’s newest form of 

false spirituality. When the next über 

gadget does finally come, I don’t want to 

forget it is all about the ultimate keynote 

“Game Changer”—Jesus. Let’s make 

sure we keep moving forward with Jesus 

and His cross at the center of all our 

innovations and technologies. n 

1 

Scripture quotations in this article are from The 

Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 

by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. 

Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

2 

Jim Collins, Good to Great (New York: Harper 

Collins, 2001), p. 152. 

Vincent MacIsaac, “Pastor 

Vinnie,” serves the Arlington 

and Fairfax Seventh-day 

Adventist churches in the 

northern Virginia area 

just outside of Washington, D.C. He is married 

to TinaLynn MacIsaac, and this year marks 

their twentieth wedding anniversary. 


Heart and Soul: 

Biblical Studies 

BY GALINA STELE 

Illustration by Steve Creitz 

At noontime Jesus sat at Jacob’s well. Jews did not 

usually pass through Samaria to get to Galilee from 

Jerusalem; they preferred to go around it. But 

Jesus’ actions have their own reasons. 

Jacob’s well sat at the entrance of a 

valley with about 80 springs of water, a 

pearl of the Promised Land full of grass, 

flowers, plums, nuts, figs, pomegranates, 

oranges, and grapes—a valley of beauty, 

history, and theological significance. 

Gerizim and Ebal rose from it, mountains 

that were the site of Israel’s covenant 

renewal after they crossed the 

Jordan river (Deut. 27:12, 13). Its cities of 

Sychar and Shechem were historic too. 

God appeared here to Abraham— 

newly arrived at Shechem in response 

to God’s call—promising the land to 

him and his offspring. Abraham’s 

response? An altar “to the Lord, who 

had appeared to him” (Gen. 12:7); his 

first altar in the Promised Land. Jesus, 

the seed of Abraham, seated at the well, 

was God personally fulfilling His promise 

to make Abraham “a blessing” for 

“all peoples on earth” (verses 2, 3). 

There was sad history too: Years after 

Abraham, Jacob, his flocks, and his family 

came to this valley and its many 

springs did not belong to him. But “for 

a hundred pieces of silver, he bought 

Are you thirsty? 

from the sons of Hamor, the father of 

Shechem, the plot of ground where he 

pitched his tent. There he set up an 

altar” (Gen. 33:19, 20). Again the place of 

worship! He dug a well, more than 100 

feet deep. Finding fresh water of the 

Spirit can demand as much! 

Everything was good in this beautiful 

valley until something ugly happened 

to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter: a violation 

that sparked her brothers’ rage 

and a bloody massacre (Gen. 34:25). It 

was a terrible night for the people of 

Shechem—all the male population bru- 

tally killed; trust was betrayed; good 

intentions to join God’s people mocked 

and denied by the very ones who built 

an altar to the true God in this valley. 

His name was on their lips, but their 

lives cried out the opposite. 

What a disappointment to God! 

Descendants of Abraham, supposed 

blessing to the whole 

world, acting like terrorists. 

Instead of love, hope, 

and truth, they brought 

hatred and death to the 

city they were supposed 

to reach. Their altar stood 

outside, but no tabernacle 

was within their hearts 

where God could dwell. Someone says, 

“You can fight the devil with such frantic 

zeal that in the long run you look 

like him.” How sad it is when people 

around see such a discrepancy between 

our truth and our spirit, between our 

altars—places of worship—and our 

ways of life. The good news is that Jesus 

visits the places where we build our 

altars to Him. There He brings His living 

water. 

No wonder Jesus 

decided to go 

through Samaria! 

This place meant so much to Him! Now 

syncretism ruled in the land of His early 

altars. Samaritans did not deny God; they 

believed in Him, even worshipped Him. 

But as with us today, they believed and 

worshipped as they pleased. God was on 

their lips, but their lives were far from 

Him. Jesus came to Samaria because He 

had living water for them. 

From Form to Life 

Jesus comes into the mess of our lives 

and transforms everything. He turns 

our places of worship into a way of life, 

a life of worship in spirit and truth. His 

stop at Jacob’s well shows a different 

attitude toward those who thirst and do 

not know the well. 

Dinah’s brothers justified their righteous 

indignation. Jesus could have 

been righteously indignant with the 

woman at the well. Five husbands is 

unusual, even for the twenty-first century. 

Sadly, it was not unusual at all in 

the first century. Dinah’s brothers 

fought sin with swords and hatred; 

Jesus chose to solve it with love and living 

water. He could rebuke the woman, 

At the 

accuse her; but instead He was willing 

to share with her the power that would 

transform her life. 

Jesus’ request for water surprised 

her. Giving water to a tired stranger was 

a great privilege, even an obligation for 

people in the East. Water was considered 

a gift from the Lord. To ask a 

woman for water was not so surprising, 

since women were the ones who generally 

drew water. But she was surprised 

because He asked to drink from the vessel 

of a Samaritan woman. Jews could 

buy certain dry food from Samaritans 

that did not convey defilement, and we 

know the disciples went to buy food. 

But water and wet food were different. 

Amazingly, Jesus is not afraid to use us 

as His vessels, imperfect as we are. 

In response to her questions, Jesus 

directed the woman’s attention toward 

something more important than physical 

thirst—soul thirst. He confronted 

her sin. He touched a delicate area of 

her private life and pushed her out of 

her comfort zone to awaken her thirst 

for righteousness. 

Unless we admit our sins, we won’t 


Well 


Whatever we believe 

about worship, 

we have to share 

Jesus’ view on worship. 

see our need for living water. We’ll 

always be thirsty. But whoever drinks 

what Jesus provides finds within themselves 

“a spring of water welling up to 

eternal life” (John 4:14). Only Jesus can 

give us this regenerating power of living 

water that will turn our hatred into 

love, our selfishness into agape service. 

And He does it at the places of our 

personal altars, places symbolic of our 

temptations and falls, and, at the same 

time, the places of our victories because 

of Him. At those places He washes us 

with the transforming power of living 

water and turns our places of mere form 

and ritual into the way of vibrant life. 

Spirit and Truth 

The Samaritans were waiting for a Messiah. 

They called Him Taheb and believed 

He would return and restore true worship. 

The woman called Jesus a prophet 

but ended up accepting Him as Messiah. 

Jesus’ conversation directed the woman’s 

attention to the issue of true worship, 

where spirit and truth are united. 

Only when we understand the true function 

of worship—to satisfy our spiritual 

thirst and transform us into the image 

of the One we worship—will there be 

harmonic unity between God’s Word, 

His truth, our message, our spirit, and 

our attitude toward each other. Whatever 

we believe about worship, we have 

to share Jesus’ view about worship. The 

time has come when “the true worshipers 

will worship the Father in the Spirit 

and in truth” (verse 23). This is what 

God is looking for (verses 19-24). 

Spirit and truth; living water and the 

bread of life. In our story Jesus gives the 

water, the disciples bring the bread. 

Bread and water were significant features 

of the sanctuary ritual. Are they 

together in our lives? Are nourishment 

and refreshing united in our worship? 

Our discussion of worship uses forms of 

the Greek word proskuneo 10 times in 

John 4:19-25. The word includes ideas 

such as “to kiss the hand” (of a superior), 

“to prostrate oneself,” “to bend the 

knees,” “to bow down,” “to adore,” “to 

worship.” This kind of worship can be 

expressed in song: “Crown Him, for He 

is worthy! Crown Him!” True worship 

admits His only and supreme authority. 

The primary purpose of worship is not 

just to share or read some thoughts for the 

day, to deliver or find interesting information, 

to entertain our youth or newcomers, 

or to prepare a lecture. The primary center 

of true worship was, is, and should be God 

the Ruler of the universe, our Creator and 

Redeemer who should be adored, worshipped, 

and obeyed. 

The Outcome 

Jesus decided to go through Samaria 

because the harvest was ripe, because He 

wanted to reach that city. How did He do 

it? The secret is thirst. He awoke the woman’s 

thirst; He targeted her thirst. And she, 

who wanted to escape the crowds, 

brought crowds to the well herself. 

When our place of formal worship 

becomes the way of vibrant life, then we 

worship in truth and in spirit. Not only 

are we revived, we are reformed as well. 

Jesus becomes visible in our lives, and 

we cannot hide Him any more than we 

can hide water in our pockets. The power 

of Jesus as the living water revives worshippers 

at the place of worship and 

leads them to the reformation of the life 

of true worship. Our lives become sermons, 

a revelation of living water. The 

change in us produces results. 

In my Bible is a letter to our church, 

entitled “to the church in Laodicea.” I 

wish it said: “To the church called Victoria.” 

Laodicea and Samaria bear striking 

similarities, and differences. 

First, like Samaria, Laodicea has water. 

Laodicea had a stone aqueduct, a sign of 

civilization. Water runs in Laodicea, but 

because of inefficient filtration—so 

common with our spiritual life—and 

distance from the source, the water 

becomes lukewarm and unpleasant. 

Second, like Laodicea, our woman of 

Samaria had a long-term sin problem to 

which she had become accustomed. 

Laodicea used to be famous for its textile 

industry, especially for its black 

woolen fabric. Impressive in jackets, 

skirts, suits, and positions, we forget 

how much all these covers contrast with 

the “white robe” we need, and that we 

look naked in Jesus’ eyes. 

But our third comparison brings good 

news. As Jesus at the well offered “living 

water” for free, so He offers Laodicea 

everything we need “without money and 

without price” (Rev. 3:18; Isa. 55:1). 

In a fourth comparison we meet Jesus 

at the well at noon, now standing at the 

door in the evening; an evening that 

speaks of history’s approaching end, and 

of the importance of our daily communion, 

our evening (and morning) sacrifice. 

He is outside and wants to come in. 

He was thirsty at the well. He is hungry 

now, not only for a drink, but to share a 

feast with us. Once He sat at the well, now 

He wants to sit at the table (Rev. 3:20). 

In the end Samaria is as much about 

us as it is about a woman at a well. 

Samaria’s well is a story about the true 

source of Living Water, and the power 

that can unite Spirit and truth in our 

hearts and transform our disastrous 

yesterdays into glorious tomorrows. It 

is a story about how our lives can 

become a blessing for the whole world. 

Lord, give us this water! n 

Galina Stele serves as a 

research assistant in the Office 

of Archives, Statistics, and 

Research of the General 

Conference. 


Back to Basics 

A Partnership With Jesus 

While walking along 42nd street in New York City, a preacher saw a 

well-dressed man sitting on the sidewalk, face buried in his hands. He thought the poor fellow had slipped, 

fallen, and hurt himself, so he quickly walked over to help him. 

As the preacher came closer, he thought he recognized the man. When he got to where the man sat, he 

realized he did know him. It was the devil himself. 

The preacher said, “Devil, what are you doing, sitting here like this? You’re always busy breaking up marriages, 

corrupting governments, committing random acts of evil.” 

To this the devil replied with a sigh, “Hardly anyone is resisting me these days. They’ve left me nothing 

to do; everything’s going my way.” 

Everything seems to be going the devil’s way when we consider the news of the past 12 months here 

in the United States. During the hurricane season—June to November—tornadoes and hurricanes 

took more than 330 lives, leveled towns, and cost billions of dollars in property damage. Fifty percent 

of marriages, both in the church and the world, ended in divorce, while 34 percent of unwed 

teens had at least one pregnancy before turning 20. Untold numbers of abortions were performed, 

as our nation ranked second behind Russia in this killing field. Horrific mass murders occurred 

in a Colorado theater (July), at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin (August), at a manufacturing plant in 

Minnesota (September), and in the unthinkable nightmare in Newtown, Connecticut (December); 

not to mention more than 500 killed in Chicago, mostly teens, in this diabolical culture of violence. * 

Everything is going Satan’s way, or so it seems. 

Are we going to sit in our comfortable congregations this year and sing, “The Lord is in His holy 

temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him”? Or are we going to stand up for Jesus as soldiers of 

the cross and cry out against the consuming evil and change the world? We have the authority of God 

embodied in the divine commission of Matthew 28:19, 20. 

This commission is also a co-mission, a partnership with Jesus in His mission to relentlessly seek 

and save the lost (Luke 19:10). It is a co-mission that calls us to depend on Jesus to overcome evil with 

good as we make disciples of all people in our spheres of influence. 

If we accept this co-mission, we must be willing to serve God regardless of the circumstances in which 

we find ourselves. We must determine to finish what we start as ambassadors of Christ through whom 

He makes His appeal to the world (2 Cor. 5:20). If others try to persuade us that this co-mission is impossible, 

we must trust God, knowing that with Him all things are possible. If we feel as though our sacrifice 

isn’t producing the promised results and we’re getting bogged down in a blizzard of despair, we must dig 

deeper into the Word, such as Revelation 12:10-17. 

There we discover that we can and will overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb, by the testimony of 

Scripture, by keeping the commandments of God, and by holding to the testimony of Jesus. 

Remember, sometimes God allows His anointed ambassadors to share in Christ’s suffering (2 Cor. 12:7-9). 

Further, what Jesus said to Peter, He says to those of us who are devoted to Him: “Satan has asked to sift all 

of you as wheat,” but I am praying for you, “that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31, 32). 

For a time Satan appears to win. That sifting rid Peter of his least-attractive qualities, such as a blustery 

self-confidence, a chip on his shoulder, and a propensity to violence. 

Our time has come to be world-changers. If we encounter opposition, ridicule, or rejection, we shouldn’t 

let them draw us off course. We must testify, knowing that as Jesus prayed for Peter, He is now at the right 

hand of God interceding for us. Let’s testify, not under duress, but joyfully, according to the will of God; not 

for sordid gain, but with eagerness, for it is written: “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive 

the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:4). 

Hyveth 

Williams 

* Statistics have been taken from a variety of Internet sites. 

Hyveth Williams teaches homiletics at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. 


Adventist Life 

The Eternal 

Can we 

find peace 

amid tragedy? 

BY LILIAN HAN IM 

This past February marked 

the 10-year anniversary of 

one of my most life-changing 

events. It spiraled me 

into a decade-long whirlwind, 

filled with unanswered questions 

and unfinished chapters. How my journey 

culminated with a simple realization 

is an astonishing testament to 

God’s unending story of hope. 

My brother, Brian, and I were very 

close growing up. Although Brian was 2 

years younger than I, he seemed more 

like an older brother. He had a certain 

confidence that enabled our relationship 

to flourish in that way. We became 

the closest during the semester I began 

graduate studies at Andrews University 

and he was accepted nearby into the 

esteemed Northwestern University honors 

medical program in Chicago. Our 

family and friends were ecstatic at his 

acceptance, yet somewhat surprised, 

because Brian had walked into his interview 

in unorthodox interview attire: 

maroon Dr. Martens boots, a plaid tie, 

and an antisuit blazer. He believed that 

he didn’t need to change who he was 

(outside or inside) just to be accepted at 

a school, no matter how prestigious. 

Life Changer for Brian 

A semester before he was due to celebrate 

the conquest of undergraduate 

studies, Brian began pondering whether 


medicine was his true calling. He had on a mission trip overseas. I was so 

been serving as the lay youth leader at excited! I knew it would change his life, 

the local Adventist church and found but I never anticipated that it would 

himself neck high in ministry rather change mine. I was more excited than he 

than immersed in Northwestern’s 

was because I had recently worked for 

Chapter 

highly rigorous academics. Not everyone 

gets into a program that gives you a 

straight acceptance to medical school 

without sitting for the MCAT, * so realizing 

what would be jeopardized by a 

change in plans, I blasted him with sisterly 

advice: “Finish your last semester 

and then, maybe, think about seminary,” 

I said. “Don’t make such a rash decision 

at a dusty crossroad; wait on the Lord.” 

And my best one: “Take time away from 

this academic surrounding by serving as 

a student missionary overseas.” 

This last thought was not at all farfetched. 

Recently returned from Palau 

myself, I was preaching from my postmission 

high. 

I still remember his gentle, consistent 

reply: “Sis, there is so much to do here 

in the U.S. I don’t need to go overseas to 

find a mission field or a ministry; the 

person next to me is my mission field.” 

My brother lived his own life story. It 

didn’t make any sense to me for him to 

switch paths at that point; but somehow, 

even with all the prodding, in my heart I 

knew it was the right thing for him. 

Brian had found peace in his decision 

and heeded the call to pastoral ministry. 

He immediately transferred to Andrews 

University to enroll in the seminary. 

Life Changer for Me 

A few years later, Brian and I had a 

surprise announcement for each other. 

My news was that he was going to be an 

uncle. His news was that he was going 

the Adventist Volunteer Center at the 

General Conference office and had interacted 

with student missionaries and 

volunteers from all over the world. I 

was very enthusiastic about mission 

service overseas—and now my own 

brother was finally going to experience 

it for himself. As the Science Department 

chair at Garden State Academy in 

New Jersey and pastor of a local church, 

Brian would be joining a conferenceorganized 

mission team going to El Salvador. 

The group included Garden State 

Academy students, with my brother 

serving as a chaperone. 

Then late one night during the mission 

trip the phone rang. I was six 

months pregnant and feeling very nauseated, 

so I couldn’t answer it. Later I called 

my mom to find out what was going on. 

My uncle answered the phone, and then I 

knew something was terribly wrong. It 

was about the El Salvador mission trip. 

After a week of building an orphanage, 

the students and chaperones decided to go 

wading in the water along the beautiful 

shores of a small town. A spontaneous, roaring 

riptide swept them up, and without hesitation 

my brother and a lifeguard rushed 

into the water to rescue them. One by one, 

each student was brought safely ashore. As 

the last student was pulled in, he turned to 

hear my brother’s last cry, “Help me, Jesus!” 

He simply had run out of strength. 

Senseless Loss 

How could a loving God ignore such 

an earnest plea? How much more earnest 

could such a plea be? Why would 

He allow the life of such a faithful and 

bold soldier for Christ to end at the age 

of 26? For someone so overflowing with 

advice, at that moment I had 

no answers. 

My mind wrestled for reason 

and hope; despair overwhelmed 

me. I sank into a 

flood of anger. I hopelessly 

sought the peace that my 

brother had relentlessly lived 

by. I desperately scrambled to 

retract any credit for planting the idea 

of serving in an overseas mission. In the 

midst of my anguish, it took me a long 

time to realize that Christ had been gently 

tapping on my shoulder to tell me 

something that would give me a fragment 

of peace: 

My child, Lilian, Brian is not lost. I have 

not lost him; and you have not lost him either. 

His life is on pause. You did not send him to 

his death. He found a reason to live that was 

worth dying for. Besides, he is not gone from 

you forever. There are so many more pages to 

add to the chapters of his life. 

Renewed Hope 

Since that tragic time I have experienced 

a long and winding voyage, but I 

have now caught a glimpse of the waves 

of hope and peace in Him. In the words 

of a traveler on a similar journey, “My life 

with my brother has been put on pause, 

. . . but it will be continued in a short 

while, . . . and this story has no end.” 

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection, and 

the life. The one who believes in me will live, even 

though they die; and whoever lives by believing 

in me will never die’ ” (John 11:25, 26). n 

* standardized multiple-choice exam taken by prospective 

medical students 

Born and raised in New York, 

Lilian Han Im grew up wanting 

to teach children. She and her 

husband are now homeschooling 

their own children, Alexis 

and Austin, in Richmond, California. 


The Life of Faith 

Andy 

Nash 

Further Testing 

I can’t imagine more polar emotions than the ones you experience 

while waiting to find out if you’re going to die. On one hand, you really, really don’t want to die. Your entire 

being strains against the thought, like when you’re underwater trying to come up for air and you keep 

bumping your head against a floating dock. Where’s the surface? Bump. Where’s the surface? Bump. 

WHERE’S THE SURFACE? 

But as much as you hate the idea of death, you find yourself feeling better than usual about your outlook 

on life. Suddenly the things that matter little do indeed matter little—and the things that matter most do 

indeed matter most. 

Later this morning I’m going in for “further testing.” It’s probably nothing, I was told at my last visit. 

And this reassures me; until I realize that “probably nothing” really doesn’t mean anything if it turns 

out to be something. 

So until I hear someone say, “It’s benign,” it’s very difficult for me to reenter that place where my 

mind is calm. I haven’t been myself the past few days; it’s hard to act natural around the girls when 

I haven’t told them how worried I am. Honestly, the one thing I cannot handle is the thought of 

sitting in the living room with Cindy this evening and telling the girls that Daddy has cancer. I 

simply cannot handle that right now. If it comes to that, Jesus Christ is going to have to handle it 

for me. Seeing my children hurting is at the very top of the things I hate. 

Ha! I’m reminded of a list the girls once playfully made about the places they especially hated 

going. It went like this: 

1. Home Depot/Lowe’s: where they have to stand in a very boring aisle of very boring materials 

2. The Men’s Wearhouse: where they have to stand among very boring clothes and shoes 

3. The oil change place: where they have to sit in a very boring waiting area with scattered newspapers 

and a TV that perpetually seems to play The People’s Court. We finally solved the problem by 

heading down the street to Salsarita’s Cantina for burritos, chips, and salsa. One of our favorite 

memories is running through a heavy rain from the oil change place to Salsarita’s laughing our 

heads off. Three years later, our youngest daughter, Summer, still talks about it. 

I love these girls so much and want nothing more than to watch them grow up—alongside 

Cindy, the love of my life. That’s why my own list of things I would most hate goes like this: 

1. Family members dying 

2. Me dying 

Yet, even as I reflect on this list, I realize how earth-centered it is. It’s all about life now. Is this really and 

truly what I ought to dread most—the loss of life on earth? I find my answer by realizing what God most 

dreads—not the loss of earthly life but the loss of eternal life. The things God most hates are: 

1. Anyone losing eternal life 

2. His Son dying 

If I’m really a believer, then my list should at least go like this, shouldn’t it? 

1. Family members losing eternal life 

2. Me losing eternal life 

3. Anyone else losing eternal life 

4. Family members dying 

5. Me dying 

Even with its lingering selfishness, this list still isn’t easy for me to digest. My flesh screams out against 

it. Though I may believe (and even teach) that one person’s earthly death can result in another’s eternal life, 

I don’t want to be that person. Not now—with my girls so young. I don’t want to sit down in the living room 

tonight. Again, if it comes to that, Jesus Christ is going to have to handle it for me. 

“He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ ” (2 Cor. 12:9). 

Postscript: It was benign. n 

Andy Nash is a professor and pastor leading a family-friendly tour to Israel May 19-31. Contact him at andynash5@gmail.com. 


Reflections 

Let It Rain! 

This morning I went running in a very light and soft rain. I wouldn’t 

have run outside if it had been pouring with rain; I don’t like getting my running shoes squeaky wet and 

my clothes soaked. This felt more like a thick mist, and it was highly invigorating. It had been raining all 

night, and the air smelled wonderfully pine-fresh. The morning was hushed, and it was just me and the wide 

expanse of dark sky stretched above me with a hint of the dawn in the east. 

I lifted my face to the sky and suddenly had to smile. Why? Ever since I was a little girl of about 6 years old 

I can remember my mom telling me to lift my face to the sky when it rains, because “rain makes your face 

beautiful.” Or so she said. I guess that notion came in handy when she needed to lift my spirits on a rainy 

day when I couldn’t go outside to play, or if we happened to get caught in the rain while walking somewhere. 

But I believed her and dutifully lifted my face for the rain to wash it whenever I had the opportunity. And 

more than 30 years later I’m still doing it! What’s more, I’m telling my children to do it as well. It has become 

some kind of family tradition—something we do when it rains and we’re outside. It has been passed on 

from one generation to the next. What may have been one of those inspired moments when God gives a 

mother the right words for her children in a specific situation has turned into a wonderful lifelong memory 

and source of encouragement. Forget the dark clouds and hold your face into the rain. Turn the apparent 

obstacles into an opportunity. Lift your face to the sky, because rain makes it beautiful! 

Although science likely doesn’t support this premise, the passing on of these positive and encouraging 

words has created long-lasting memories for me. These small words and traditions are woven into the fabric 

of our family histories, and when we hand them down from one generation to another, we might actually 

be doing something deeply spiritual: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your 

soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall 

teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk 

by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deut. 6:5-7, ESV). * 

Saying encouraging and positive words to our children—words that remind us and them of God’s continual 

love, even in the face of pelting rainstorms that will surely come our way—may create a small but 

lasting legacy that will ring all the way into eternity. 

I still don’t like rainy days, because I relish being outdoors and playing with my boys or working in the 

yard and enjoying nature. But then I think of my mom and smile. I go outside and look up, holding my face 

high, as I invite my three boys to do the same. 

Let it rain; let it rain. n 

* Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of 

Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

Thandi Klingbeil lives with her husband, Martin, and their three children in Collegedale, Tennessee.

CARLTON BYRD

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