Chesapeake Conference | Seventh-day Adventist Church

Re-establishing a Vital Habit

Editorial by Jerry Lutz

You’ve heard it said, “Old habits die hard.” It’s a phrase that is sometimes used to convey how difficult
it can be to stop doing things one has been doing for a long time. If you have ever tried breaking a well- established habit, you know how challenging and frustrating it can be. Neuroscientists graphically describe habits as pathways in the brain that are made by connections between neurons (nerve cells). These neural pathways, they say, are like grooves in the road maps of our brain. So, the more frequently the pathway is traveled, the stronger and more “second nature” the behavior.

December 21, 2021: The Mind of Christ

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5, KJV).

What is the mind of Christ? How does God think? If we continue with this passage in Philippians, we learn that even though Jesus was God, He humbled Himself to become a man. But He didn’t stop there. He didn’t come as a king or some wealthy person; He became a servant.

He didn’t stop there either. He humbled Himself to be subject to death on a cross—the worst and most humiliating form of punishment any human could endure. Accordingly, the mind of Christ is complete and utter selflessness and humility.

Because of His selfless sacrifice, we learn that Christ was exalted above every name. And “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Phil. 2:10, KJV).

December 17, 2021: Prayer Still Works

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26, NKJV).

“This can’t be happening to me!” I said. The doctor’s diagnosis hit me like a ton of bricks. I was suffering from a painful illness that was spreading aggressively. In spite of this distressing news, I remained optimistic that surgery was still an option.

Unfortunately, I awoke from that first surgery only to be confronted with more dismal news. There was nothing they could do for me! Naturally, I started to blame myself because I knew something was wrong years ago, but I ignored all the warning signs, choosing to bear the pain silently.

Salisbury Church Partners With Community to Open Homeless Shelter

Story by Evan Knott / Video by Melvin Donadelle

When a local non-profit organization supporting homeless men in Salisbury, Md., needed a new location for its winter shelter, Chesapeake Conference's Park church decided to lend a hand.

Hands and Hearts Ending Homelessness (HHEH) was founded 18 years ago after three men froze to death in Salisbury. The organization partners with the city government and area churches of different denominations to aid homeless men in the city.

For the last three years, the director of HHEH has been Walter Davidson, a member of the Park church. When HHEH needed to find another location for the shelter this year, Davidson reached out to his home congregation right away.

December 7, 2021: Everything We Need

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence” (2 Pet. 1:3, NLT).

I love this text, mostly because it is a simple proclamation of the gospel. But also because it sets the record straight in regard to the lies the serpent told in the Garden of Eden. Many people are still being convinced that God’s Word is not reliable, that God uses obedience to keep good things from his people and that we do not already have everything we need to reflect the image of God.