“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord” (Ps. 27:14, NLT).
I feel like the more I serve God, the more encounters I have in His waiting room. This is where I learn to be courageous and wait on Him even when my circumstances say otherwise. In the process of waiting, I have realized that, without faith, it is impossible to wait patiently for the Lord, especially when it seems He is tied up with someone else’s emergency.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16–17, NKJV).
As a 4-year-old, I didn’t understand the concept of death and that my father would never come home again. For weeks, I stayed up at night waiting for him. By the age of 8, though, I understood that he was not returning and this new unfavorable home where I lived was my only home. I longed for the daddy that I couldn’t even remember because I longed for a daddy who cared, provided, listened, held and loved me.
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20, NKJV).
I was 17 and the youngest child of a big family growing up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania when this verse became special to me. That summer, I worked alone on the farm, as all my siblings had moved away. This provided me with a lot of time to think, and I examined the purpose of life and what I should do with mine. I contemplated a number of avenues, such as joining the U.S. Marines and volunteering for service in Vietnam, as one of my older brothers had done.
Les retards nationaux dans la livraison du courrier ont entrainé une livraison tardive de nombreux calendriers de l'Union de Columbia 2021 et de livres de dévotion Année de la Bible Words of Life. Des exemplaires supplémentaires des deux sont toujours disponibles. Appelez Pacific Press au (800) 447-7377. Le livre de dévotion coûte 5 $, plus les frais d'expédition. Le calendrier est gratuit, mais les membres doivent payer les frais d'expédition.
Histoire de Valérie Morikone
Le 16 décembre 2020, Larry Boggess, ancien président de la Fédération de Mountain View (MVC), est décédé. Boggess a pris sa retraite en tant que président du MVC en 2017. Lui et sa femme, Jo’an, ont ensuite déménagé dans leur maison de campagne dans l'Ohio pour vivre près de leur famille.
« Frère Boggess était un ami merveilleux et un travailleur dévoué pour Jésus », raconte Mike Hewitt, président du MVC. « Mon cœur est triste maintenant, mais je sais que nous le reverrons très bientôt lorsque Jésus reviendra en puissance et en gloire. »
Le Comité Exécutif de la Fédération de Chesapeake a récemment élu Jerry Lutz président de la Fédération de Chesapeake lors d'une réunion spéciale présidée par Dave Weigley, président de l’Union.
Story by Debra Anderson
On March 14, 2021, the Potomac Conference Corporation will be the first conference in the Columbia Union Conference to virtually host a full constituency meeting. Like many organizations that have had to adjust their official meeting protocols, after much prayer and deliberation, Potomac made the decision to proceed with the virtual option. The conference’s executive committee later approved the request from the conference administration.
Story by Vicki Swetnam
This year, Spring Valley Academy (SVA) introduced a new high school course exploring the world of entrepreneurship. Students learned how to hire, fire, sell, explore the market, read financial statements, create a business plan, give an elevator pitch and ask for funding. The capstone project was a Shark Tank contest in which each student presented their own business plan to a group of local business leaders requesting an “investment” in their company. The students delivered and staged their presentations using props such as cupcakes, prepared meals, lawn mowers, clothing and other items.
Historia de Anthony Baffi
“Nada es demasiado pequeño para Dios”, dice Gabriela Martínez, de 22 años, miembro de la iglesia española de Trenton de la Conferencia de Nueva Jersey. Ella se dice a sí misma esto siempre que se encuentra con dificultades. "¡Es un recordatorio de cuán grandes son las bendiciones de Dios y cómo Sus planes son más grandes que los nuestros!"
Martínez, una receptora de DACA, ha enfrentado constantes batallas toda su vida. Desde terminar la escuela secundaria y qué pasos tomar, a qué universidad elegir y si tendría fondos para el estudio, luchó con obstáculos previsibles. Había límites para lo que los beneficiarios de DACA podían calificar y ella no sabía qué les esperaba el futuro.
Historia de Anthony Baffi
Jonathan Carrillo se une a la Conferencia de Nueva Jersey como el nuevo pastor de las iglesias de Camden, Pine Hill, Gibbsboro company y Mt. Holly españolas.
Carrillo recibió su licenciatura en teología de la Universidad de Montemorelos (México). Se desempeñó como capellán en la Universidad de Navojoa y pastor asociado en la iglesia de Alamos y la Iglesia Central de Navojoa, antes de pasar a pastor en la Conferencia de las Montañas Rocosas.
Recientemente completó su M. Div. en el Seminario Teológico Adventista del Séptimo Día de la Universidad Andrews (Michigan). Le encanta dedicar su tiempo libre a la escritura. También ama la naturaleza e intenta escapar al aire libre siempre que sea posible.