Editorial by Rick Remmers
Jesus’ birth is the most important birth of all the billions that have taken place through earth’s history. His life, death and resurrection are at the center of the plan of salvation and our hope for eternity.
Jesus’ birth gives significance to every other birth on this planet. Every child that is born has infinite value because of His advent. As the people of God, we recognize this importance and choose to value every young person as well.
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
After a 30-hour trip, the familiar smell and taste of food at the hospital canteen in Nepal was very comforting and reassuring to Fylvia Fowler Kline’s family, who had just arrived as missionaries from the U.S. The cafeteria delivered a plate of pakoras, an Indian snack made of vegetable chickpea fritters similar to falafels.
“Getting adjusted to a new cuisine is one of the challenges of mission service. But, it wasn’t for us,” says Kline, who adds that Nepalese food is in influenced by the flavors of India and Tibet, similar to what she ate growing up.
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
People come in on Sabbath morning, and the tables are set up, and the classrooms are ready. They don’t know how it happens. It’s like a little Sabbath fairy comes in and sets it all up,” says Roxann Gambin, organizer of Chesapeake Conference’s Triadelphia church potluck for 12 years.
Gambin likes to operate behind the scenes. She and her husband, Len, volunteer at the church, located in Clarksville, Md., each Friday to set up the fellowship hall and prepare the kitchen. She schedules teams to run the weekly potlucks. The Sabbaths her team isn’t serving, she still often helps by dropping by the kitchen before Sabbath School and in between church to heat up and prepare dishes. The Gambins often stay until 3 p.m. to clean.
Story by Heidi Wetmore
Editorial by Jerry Lutz
In today’s tech-reliant world, it can be tougher than ever to focus on something without getting distracted. Some of the wonderful gadgets designed to make our lives easier and keep us constantly connected can be dangerous—and even deadly—when, for instance, one’s attention is on texting instead of on the more pressing matter of driving. Of course, ours is not the first generation to face the challenge of staying on-task. Proverbs 4:25 says, “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you” (NIV). Distraction was apparently a concern back in the days of Solomon too.