Editorials

Editorial by Heather Crews, pastor of Courthouse Road church

Wander into the world of social media and you will find it colored with grief. We are reeling and pained by the actions of terror in our world. To try to fathom the loss of one life, and then to multiply that in order to understand the loss here is staggering. And so we post a new profile picture, filtered through our grief. We do this seeking to connect with the world and find hope. In a world getting-smaller-every-day we desire to share our pain. Then in that connection to find a spark of hope or a breath of peace for the day ahead.

Editorial by Timothy Ko

Being a father to two girls is rewarding and challenging. There have been many conversations with my five-year-old (pictured) in which she would answer my questions with quick, short replies versus engaging in conversation. I would ask how her day went, about Spanish or soccer class, and the response would always be similar. At one point, I wondered if our conversations would always be as short as “No,” “Fine” and “Uh-huh.”

I tried negotiating with desserts or toys, but nothing worked. I soon became frustrated that I could not bridge the communication gap with her and feared that we might never enjoy meaningful conversations.

Editorial by Rick Remmers

Sharing is a special concept. It is similar to giving but with a very different outcome. I enjoy reading and collecting books. If I give a book away, then it belongs to someone else, and I no longer have it. But if I share a book with my wife, then it is something that we can both treasure. We not only enjoy reading the book, but we have the joy of spending time together and the memories of conversations that were sparked by the stories we read.

Editorial by Celeste Ryan Blyden

The other night, while searching the online Visitor archives, I got caught up reading the carefully chronicled history of our Columbia Union people. From the headlines, articles, photos and captions, it appears that our predecessors were some of the most Bible-knowing, Ellen White-quoting, ministry-supporting, missionary-loving, church-planting, potluck-hosting, camp meeting-going, organizing and evangelizing people you’ll ever meet. The theme woven through story after story, issue after issue, and event after event, was their palpable love for Jesus and commitment to sharing His message and carrying forward His mission.