Story by Heidi Wetmore
Spencerville Adventist Academy (SAA) students and staff recently partnered with Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington (ACSGW) to organize and pack 50 boxes of food in preparation for distribution. There has been an increase of people in need, including a number of recent refugee families from Afghanistan.
“The students are excited to participate in service and plan to continue working with ACSGW throughout the school year,” says Tim Soper, campus chaplain.
Story by Andrew S. Lay
Elijah Ramjattan, new campus chaplain and recruiter, recently joined the faculty at Highland View Academy (HVA). He and his wife, Jo-Anna, a registered nurse, both received degrees from Weimar University (Calif.) and look forward to changing lives in youth ministry at the academy.
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.
“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).
“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.