2013 1507

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March 14, 2013
Prisoners of Fear Morris Venden Dies at 80 Do I Need a Gun?
7 11 24
Here
WHAT HAppEnS wHEn TOddLERS gO TO SABBATH sCHOOL?
It Starts
Behold, I come quickly . . .

Devotional
Our mission is to uplift Jesus Christ by presenting stories of His matchless love, news of His present workings, help for knowing Him better, and hope in His soon return. she tucked him in at night, hed tell her
all the fun stories from his school days playing with his comrade. In the mornings when he got up, he was excited to go back to school because he knew his friend was going to be there. One day she arrived at the school earlier than usual to pick up her son. He saw her at the door and came running, as children often do when they catch a glimpse of Mom. He gave her a hug and then immediately pointed across the room so that he could show her who his new friend was. Hes right there! he said, beaming and pointing. Which one? she asked, perplexed as she followed his tiny finger into a sea of children. The kid in the red shirt! When her eyes landed on her childs friend, she couldnt help smiling. In a
18
COVER FEATURE 18 It Starts Here
WILONA KARIMABADI
22
ARTICLES 22 Red Shirt BY HEATHER
was teaching at a community colTHOMPSON-DAY HEAThER ThOMPSON-DAY
Sabbath school for toddlers? Why not?
There are all kinds of ways to describe each other.
DEPARTMENTS 4 class Letters with 25 or so children, every child had a student in the English class I
shirt. In a room 7 red Page 7 in which all but one shared the same skin tone, her son would identify his friend to his 8 that World News & mother from the other children in the room, except for his red shirt. could not think of a single characteristic in her sons room was White except her sons best friend, who was wearing a
EYES
Red Shirt
11 6
EDITORIALS 6 BILL KNOTT 7
STEPhEN ChAVEZ
24 Do I Need a Gun?
CLAUDE RIchLI
The question of selfdefense is a complicated one.

22
lege a couple years ago tell me the most beautiful story. I was talking to them about my life growing up as a biracial child. For me, the combining of two different cultures has been precious. I have never had any real confusion about who I was or where I belonged. I grew up with both my Black father and White mother, who loved each other dearly. There really was not much room for confusion, because I knew them both, loved them both, and knew that they loved me. My students story was about her son. He had been attending his rst year of school and often came home raving to his mother about his new friend. When
Reclaiming the Library Prisoners of Fear
Perspectives
Identifying Me
When my student told me that story, I
moved. There a reason that Christ 13 was Give &isTake said that in order to enter the kingdom Children dont hate until they are 14 cious. GLOW Stories rst taught hate. of heaven, we would rst need to become like children. Children are pre-
15 Searching the Obvious 28 Introducing the Why 29 Etc. 31 Reections

NeXt WeeK
Beyond Belief We used to say, Once an Adventist, always an Adventist. New research indicates that may no longer be true.
There are a lot of things Jesus could
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ON THE COVER
Sabbath school isnt just for big kids. The younger they start, the more they receive. Cover photo by Merle Poirier.
Publisher General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Executive Publisher Bill Knott, Associate Publisher Claude Richli, Publishing Board: Ted N. C. Wilson, chair; Benjamin D. Schoun, vice chair; Bill Knott, secretary; Lisa Beardsley-Hardy; Daniel R. Jackson; Robert Lemon; Geoffrey Mbwana; G. T. Ng; Daisy Orion; Juan Prestol; Michael Ryan; Ella Simmons; Mark Thomas; Karnik Doukmetzian, legal adviser. Editor Bill Knott, Associate Editors Lael Caesar, Gerald A. Klingbeil, Coordinating Editor Stephen Chavez, Online Editor Carlos Medley, Features Editor Sandra Blackmer, Young Adult Editor Kimberly Luste Maran, KidsView Editor Wilona Karimabadi, News Editor Mark A. Kellner, Operations Manager Merle Poirier, Financial Manager Rachel Child, Editorial Assistant Marvene Thorpe-Baptiste, Assistant to the Editor Gina Wahlen, Quality Assurance/Social Media Coordinator Jean Boonstra, Marketing Director Claude Richli, Editor-at-Large Mark A. Finley, Senior Advisor E. Edward Zinke, Art Director Bryan Gray, Design Daniel Aez, Desktop Technician Fred Wuerstlin, Ad Sales Glen Gohlke, Subscriber Services Steve Hanson. To Writers: Writers guidelines are available at the Adventist Review Web site: www.adventistreview.org and click About the Review. For a printed copy, send a self-addressed envelope to: Writers Guidelines, Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600. E-mail: revieweditor@gc.adventist.org. Web site: www.adventistreview.org. Postmaster: Send address changes to Adventist Review, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740-7301. Unless otherwise noted, Bible texts in this issue are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are Thinkstock 2013. The Adventist Review (ISSN 01611119), published since 1849, is the general paper of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is published by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and is printed 36 times a year on the second, third, and fourth Thursdays of each month by the Review and Herald Publishing Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. Periodical postage paid at Hagerstown, MD 21740. Copyright 2013, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Vol. 190, No. 7 Subscriptions: Thirty-six issues of the weekly Adventist Review, US$36.95 plus US$28.50 postage outside North America. Single copy US$3.00. To order, send your name, address, and payment to Adventist Review subscription desk, Box 1119, Hagerstown, MD 21741-1119. Orders can also be placed at Adventist Book Centers. Prices subject to change. Address changes: addresschanges@rhpa.org. OR call 1-800-456-3991, or 301-393-3257. Subscription queries: shanson@rhpa.org. OR call 1-800-456-3991, or 301-393-3257.
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in box
LETTERs FROm OUR READERS
have to know that Someone like that would never do anything to harm me, much less send me to an eternally burning hell. Im so glad we know the end of the story as Revelation tells us. God wins, and I want to be on His side.
Pauline N. Pierson
The January 24 article by Grenville Kent, Listening to Atheists, sums up the main reason I couldnt be anything other than an Adventist. Its not hard to see why so many Christians are leaving their churches and becoming atheists. I would too if I believed the common Christian belief in life after death and an eternally burning hell. I could never love or respect a God like that. I realize there are a lot of aws in our people, myself included. I have been an Adventist all my life and dont know of one member of my family who hasnt been hurt emotionally, or in other ways, by someone in the church. After all, why would Satan try to discourage people who are not attempting to follow the truth of the Bible? . . . There are other reasons, too, for my love of the Adventist Church. Our Sabbath rest is wonderful, . . . then there is the health message. Most of all, when I think of my Best Friend, Jesus, agonizing on the cross for me, I
Only Adventist
Collegedale, Tennessee
I appreciated Sandra Black-
Tried and True, Old and New
mers editorial Tried and True (Jan. 24, 2013). I identify with her not adapting readily to change. I also drive an older Honda, slightly younger than hers, but with 398,000 miles. It has never left me stranded, and has required minimal repair. Those of us who dont make a lot of money, but still want to be faithful in tithe and support for various church ministries, can do so by denying our desire for new toys and clothes. I too want to see our church utilize new technology as well as continue polishing the tried and true and using them to spread the gospel. If more people would put the Lords work rst, there would be a huge difference in the funds that went into ministry versus personal desires.
Tim Arner
I appreciated Andrew McChesneys article Taking the Hint (Jan. 24, 2013). The lesson he shares is based on the biblical principle that it is a sin to tempt or inuence others to sin. Jesus Himself made this very plain in Luke 17:1, 2. As the author implies, this principle is often violated by the adoption of provocative worldly styles of dress. But another area of concern is the advertising done by the immoral gambling, alcohol, tobacco, and theatrical entertainment interests. As conscientious Christians we shouldnt be involved in any way with the promotion or production of advertising for these morally degenerate businesses.
Leonard LanG
Taking the Hint
Newcastle, Wyoming
Vol. 190, No.
eview.org
17, 2013
JANUA , 2013 RY 17
www.adventistr
January
a Greeting A Wave and Unafliated Religiously Worldwide Swell n? Divine Assassi
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It seems to me that God cut the template for that approach when He fashioned the Ten Commandments. The rst four dene spiritual moralitya citizens relationship to religion, if he or she chooses to have such a relationship. Here civil governments should not intrude except as necessary to safeguard those freedoms. The last six commandments dene civil morality those that preserve the lives and well-being of all citizens, religious and secular. If civil governments do not enforce just laws here, the result is anarchy. Some might say that the commandment against coveting cannot be regulated by civil law since it is a sin of the mind. Even that commandment, however, can inuence laws dealing with fraud, overreaching in business, unjust discrimination, etc.
Lee RoY Holmes
s Religiou in Freedom d the Unite es Stat
Kettle Falls, Washington

IS ONE OF THE MOST ENTAL FUNDAM S FREEDOM TACK? UNDER AT
Vol. 190, No.
eview.o rg
10, 2013
JANU 13 0, 20 ARY 1
www.ad
ventistr
January
Study Ordination Named Committee Willing to Be Led
Gods Peddler
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Knoxville, Tennessee
I found Nicholas P. Millers brief historical sketch of the various viewpoints regarding church and state relations (Religious Freedom in America, Jan. 17, 2013) to be very helpful. Positioning Adventism with the dissenting Protestants and counseling us to support government involvement in civil morality while opposing its promotion of spiritual morality makes sense.
Religious Freedom in America
W Mystic?
hat Is a
SEEKING IONSHIP COMPANIST WITH CHR
This is just a note to thank
What Is a Mystic?
you for publishing Eric Andersons article on mysticism (see What Is a Mystic? Jan. 10, 2013). I never expected to see such a thing, in view of my experience of the deep negativity toward
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Christian mysticism in Seventh-day Adventist churches. I was especially pleased to see the references to the Ellen White comments Anderson selected, Evelyn Underhill (who may not be found in Internet sources), and C. S. Lewis. I liked the whole article, especially the last two paragraphs. . . . I hope this is not the last thing you write on the subject!
LYnn P. HartZler
Im so glad we know the end of the story as Revelation
tells us. God wins, and I want to be on His side.

should be received as granted is surrounded with a cloud of mysticism. Nothing stands out in clear and distinct lines, upon rock bottom. This is one of the marked signs of the last days (Selected Messages, book 1, p. 15). May the truth always stand clear!
Bob Stewart
pauline N. pierson, Collegedale, Tennessee
Sacramento, California
I looked up the word mys-
ticism in response to the recent article from Eric Anderson. If you do a search in E. G. Whites writings, you will nd that mysticism is generally used as leading a person away from Gods truth, not in leading them closer. Mystics and mysticism have been around a long time. It came out of the study of Plato leading those followers who were Christians to go into monasteries to become the rst Christian mystics. Anderson is blurring the edges so that one cannot see between good and evil. Read the following quote from Ellen White:Spiritual darkness has covered the earth and gross darkness the people. There are in many churches skepticism and indelity in the interpretation of the Scriptures. Many, very many, are questioning the verity and truth of the Scriptures. Human reasoning and the imaginings of the human heart are undermining the inspiration of the Word of God, and that which
via e-mail
Eric Andersons article
learn. Anyone who examines the library of Ellen White can see a similar openness to learning from the insights of other Christians. I just pray that the chosen of today can, along with their doctrinal faithfulness, exhibit a similar humility, grace, and openness. I think this was a very important article at a critical time, andI deeply appreciatetheReviewscandor and courage in serving Christ andHis church.
Nicholas Miller
spoke to the whole issue in a positive, biblically informed, Ellen White-inuenced, and personally experiential way. I was very moved by it. I plan to sharehisarticle regularly with my students and others who ask questions about spirituality, mysticism, and related issues. I want to thankAndersonfor writing such a thoughtful and personally revealing piece, and to thanktheAdventist Reviewteamfor giving prominence to a piece that will run counter to some unfortunate prejudices against learning from other Christians that can be found in certain Adventist circles. In a number of instances Christ held up the faith of Gentile outsiders, including the Syrophoenician woman and the Roman centurion, as models of spirituality from which the chosen could
Berrien Springs, Michigan
Hooray for Jimmy Phillips
The Place of a Servant
Steve R. Morris article My Father Sang to Me (Jan. 17) is a photo of another one of our authors, Larry Yeagley. Here is a photo of Morris. S. R. Morris South England Conference president Samuel Davis is the speaker mentioned in the caption with the bottom photo on page 10 of the February 14 Review, not Pastor Ian Sweeney. Our apologies for these errors.
and his article The Place of a Servant (Jan. 10, 2013)! His eloquent description of doing what we dont feel like doing when people annoy us reminds me of the gospel song that goes something like to put my human nature down, and let the Spirit take control of all I do . . . Not easy. I am very proud of our magazine and the variety of views expressed in it.
PhYllis E. DeLise
S. davis
We welcome your letters, noting,

as always, that inclusion of a letter in this section does not imply that the ideas expressed are endorsed by either the editors of the Adventist Review or the General Conference. Short, specic, timely letters have the best chance at being published (please include your complete address and phone numbereven with e-mail messages). Letters will be edited for space and clarity only. Send correspondence to Letters to the Editor, Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600; Internet: letters@ adventistreview.org.
New Port Richey, Florida
Weve published two
Corrections
errors related to photos. The photo that accompanied
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Editorials
Reclaiming the Library

A FOOLiSH CONSiSTENCY iS THE HObGObLiN OF LiTTLE MiNDS, aDORED bY
little statesmen and philosophers and divines.Emerson. [DISCLAIMER 1: The citation of a justly famous proverb by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), the celebrated Unitarian clergyman and Transcendentalist, does not mean that I endorse all that Emerson ever wrote or thought or preached. I simply like the proverb and nd it useful, especially in these combative times.] Emersons bon mot has been quoted by a century and a half of college English, religion, and philosophy teachersyes, at Adventist colleges, toowho have been trying to crack the intellectual tundra that often accompanies the adolescent mind, hoping some new, green idea might emerge and even ower. Originally intended to cleverly skewer reactionary politicians, pedants, and preachers, his witticism has become a cultural warning of the dangers of the unsupple mind, the rigid and fearful consistency that insists on rolling the marble down the same groove, time after time. Had he been more daring, Emerson might have pointed to the work of his friend and sometime tenant Henry David Thoreau, the Transcendentalist who memorably chastised government, consumerism, and militarism. Thoreau also mentored at a distance of decades the developing ideas of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. [DISCLOSURE 1: I have read extensively in Thoreaus works, spending some of the happiest hours of my youth walking the muddy path around his beloved Walden Pond, and admiring the countercultural man who called respectable Victorian America to Simplify, simplify (Walden, 1854). His volumes, frequently dusted off, are some of those I would rush to save should re strike my library.] [DISCLAIMER 2: Much as I admire the willingness of Thoreau to counter the acquisitiveness of his age (A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone), I cannot make him into a Christian, or allow the impression to linger in a hundred little minds that I endorse everything he wrote.] Yet Emerson and Thoreau must have winced when fellow Concord resident and author Nathaniel Hawthorne took up his pen to mock the pretentiousness of Transcendentalist thought in a redux version of Bunyans Pilgrims Progress that he cleverly titled The Celestial Railroad. [DISCLOSURE 2: Nathaniel Hawthornes 1843 6,700-word short story, deemed a most happy exposure of the inconsistencies of popular religion, was so prized by Review and Herald founder and editor James White that it was almost continuously offered for sale in booklet or tract form on the back page of this magazine in his lifetime.] The tortured shape of this editorial is a grim illustration of the fact that a tiny minority of Adventists is now wielding unwarranted inuence on the churchs educational, pastoral, and publishing ministries by stoutly insisting that no reputable thought leader should read, own, or cite from a book by a nonAdventist author. They have invaded pastors ofces, disrupted worship services, and left a trail of litter across a smattering of Web sites. Their position is clearly wrong, for by their test none of the churchs founders, including Ellen White herself, should have any credibility. The libraries of Ellen and James White, Uriah Smith, J. N. Andrews, John Loughborough, and every major Adventist ofcer or thought leader since the mid-nineteenth century have been lled with volumes by non-Adventist authors, well read and frequently dusted off. It is precisely Adventisms engagement with the ideas, opinions, beliefs, and philosophies of the age that make this movements faith statements so compelling and ultimately victorious. We are winning the contest of ideaswhich, of course, requires that we know what others are thinking. Weary of the soulless ideologies and isms of the contemporary world, millions of men and women around the globe are turning to the clearly biblical and rational ideas on which our faith rests. Now is no time to allow the well-intentioned but misguided fringes of this movement to distract us from the mission given us by Jesus, even when their anti-intellectualism is cloaked in memorized and repeated pieties. The faith of Jesus has always beenand should always bea robust, resilient, and engaging faith that does not hesitate to understand the ideas around us, but tests them all by the clear and timeless Word of God. [DISCLOSURE 3: This magazine, for 164 years the journal of literate Adventism, will not be intimidated by those too fearful to read.] n
Bill
Knott
Atiny minority of Adventists is now wielding unwarranted inuence on the churchs educational, pastoral, and publishing ministries.
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Prisoners of Fear
Until recentlY members of our editorial staff tooK turns
posting items on the Adventist Reviews Facebook page for a week at a time. Coincidentally, in 2012 I was asked to monitor our Facebook account during the weeks just prior to Easter and Christmas. I know some Adventists see red every time they read the words Easter and Christmas, so I was careful not to use those words. Instead, I used terms such as Christs death and resurrection, and Christs birth. I know that Christ wasnt likely born in December, and I know that pagan practices have been connected with both events. Still, the vehemence of the posts from our friends who objected to the very notion that we should join other Christians in commemorating these signicant events surprised me. The inference seemed to be: Dont call us Christians; were Adventists! I know some like to entertain the fantasy that our movement sprang out of some vacuum, and that before Seventh-day Adventists arrived, Christianity was apostate and infected with all kinds of pagan beliefs and practices. In fact, our movement is part of a progression of 2,000 years of Christian historysome good, some badthats left us centuries of tradition (the good kind) from those who have faithfully transmitted the faith that was once for all entrusted to Gods holy people (Jude 3). I feel bad for Adventists whose fear of being deceived leads them to view fellow Christians only with suspicion and suggest that because they arent Adventists and they commemorate Christs birth and resurrection theyre somehow deceived. In countries of the world in which Christianity is the predominant religion, the weeks leading up to the observance of Christs birth, His death, and His resurrection are prime opportunities to share our faith, not our fears. n
Stephen
Chavez
One home; five historical events in Adventism.
A House for God
Joseph Bates returns to Palmer home and converts M. E. Cornell, who later converts John P . Kellogg, father of John Harvey Kellogg.
1852
While at the Palmer home on March 16, two days after receiving a vision on the great controversy, Ellen White is struck with severe paralysis, leaving her incapacitated. It takes six months to write what she has seen. White is later shown that the illness was a direct attack by Satan so the vision could not be shared.
1858
Hiram S. Case and C. P . Russell are rebuked by Ellen White in the Palmer home for accusations against a woman in the company. They defect and begin the Messenger party, the first Seventhday Adventist offshoot movement.
1853
DAN R. PALMER First convert of Joseph Bates in Michigan in 1849 A prayer meeting is held in the home just before James and Ellen White leave on a train bound for Wisconsin. Shortly after leaving the station, it derails, injuring many, but the Whites are unharmed.
1854
A council meeting is held in the Palmer home, and there is a decision to purchase an evangelistic tentAdventisms first in Michigan. Cornell (the converted minister from 1852) left immediately for New York to make the purchase.
1854
World News & Perspectives

physical, emotional, or spiritual, as well as assisting in disaster relief on the island of Sumatra after the 2004 tsunami. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute in this country, he said. The Seventh-day Adventist Church operates a number of facilities that help the Indonesian people, including Adventist hospitals in Bandung, Bandar Lampung, Manado and Medan.The church also operates 372 schools and three universities in Indonesia. We hope to help the people of Indonesia to solve a number of problems. God understands what is best for our lives, Wilson concluded. During his visit, Wilson helped inaugurate a new wing of the Manado Adventist Hospital on February 15. The new three-story facility, which rst opened in 2008, provides an additional 55 beds. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the governor of the North Sulawesi Province, Sinyo Harry Sarundayang, said the additional facility was a response to primary health development goals of increasing longevity, reducing the infant mortality rate, and reducing the prevalence of malnutrition. Optimizing private hospitals is our priority, Sarundayang said. Manado Adventist Hospital is a representation of strengthening community health resources and becomes the right answer to continuous development of welfare, he said. The provincial government pledged US$400,000 for radio-diagnostic equipment and a new ambulance unit. The hospital has grown to employ 265 people, up from 25 employees when it opened ve years ago. On February 13 Wilson visited Bandung Adventist Hospital, which is located about 90 miles southeast of Jakarta, and considered one of the top hospitals in West Java. Founded in 1950, it now has 230 beds and employs 700 people. A new $7 million building
Photos : W est I ndonesian Union
PRESIDENTIAL MEETING: General Conference president Pastor Ted N. C. Wilson, left, greets President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, near the capital of Jakarta, on February 12, 2013. Wilson expressed gratitude to President Yudhoyono for the religious liberty granted in Indonesia, and pledged the help of Seventh-day Adventists in the nation.
SOUTHERN ASIA-PACIFIC
Wilson Meets Indonesias President Yudhoyono, Praises Religious Freedom

Pledges cooperation to help people in need
By MARK A. KELLNEr, news editor
It is an honor for us to be able to be in Indonesia and a good experience to meet with the president to share the views of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in helping the people, Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, said to reporters after an audience with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base near the capital of Jakarta, on February 12, 2013. Wilson is visiting Indonesia as part of celebrations of more than a century of Seventh-day Adventist work in the country. There are 1,547 Adventist congregations in Indonesia, and approxi-
mately 250,000 baptized members in the nation, whose majority population is Muslim. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute in this country, and I am grateful to the president for the religious freedom granted to groups in Indonesia, Wilson added. Its amazing to hear that Indonesia is a country with the second-highest economic growth. But President Yudhoyono is also aware of the need to do more things for his people, Wilson explained. The General Conference president said the church is committed to help in various ways, whether social,
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facility was inaugurated last year. Wilson also visited Indonesian Adventist University in Bandung, which was rst opened in 1929. He helped to dedicate ground for the construction of a new science center, and later addressed an assembly in the universitys Alumni Center. You are an important part of the worldwide Adventist education process, Wilson told a group of 2,000 faculty, staff, and students. You may seek knowledge of science and philosophy and all other bodies of knowledge, but remember that the foundation of all true knowledge is the knowledge of God, he said. The Adventist Church also operates hospitals in Bandar Lampung and Medan. Wilson was joined on the trip by his wife, Nancy; Alberto Gulfan, president of the Adventist Churchs Southern Asia-Pacic Division; Joseph Peranginangin, president of the West Indonesia
HOSPITAL INAUGURATION: Nancy Wilson, left, joined her husband, Ted N. C. Wilson, at the dedication of a new wing for Manado Adventist Hospital. At right is the Honorable Sinyo Harry Sarundajang, governor of North Sulawesi province in Indonesia.
Union; Noldy Sakul, president of the East Indonesia Union; and T. B. Silalahi, a retired Army lieutenant general who
is an Adventist Church member. n with information from local media reports and Adventist News Network
NORTH AMERICA
Adventist Schools, Security Leaders, Unite to Keep Campuses Safe

PASS group to hold conference in July 2013
By KERI SUAREZ, media relations specialist, Andrews University, writing from Berrien Springs, Michigan
As national debates intensify over
how to effectively safeguard our educational institutions against future acts of violence, Professional Adventists for Safety and Security (PASS) is preparing for their third annual meeting, to be held in July 2013. PASS was organized in 2010 to bring together safety and security professionals serving at Seventhday Adventist schools, hospitals, and other institutions to discuss best practices, provide community resources, and maintain an Adventist network of security personnel to allow the distribution of important information. To date, there has been active involvement in PASS from campus security
directors of Oakwood Adventist University, Southern Adventist University, Andrews University, and Loma Linda University, as well as the directors of security at ADRA, the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and the Review and Herald Publishing Association. For years there were discussions about the need to establish an organization that would connect the various safety and security departments at Adventist institutions. Although there was an acknowledged need for communication between the different entities, attempts to form a professional network never moved beyond preliminary stages.
When Dale Hodges became the director of the Ofce of Campus Safety at Andrews University, he was concerned about the negative perceptions that had developed between students and campus safety. The term veggie cop, a slang term commonly used in Adventist settings to refer to safety or security professionals, was new to Hodges. As a retired homicide detective, Hodges wanted to repair any negative perceptions while building the professionalism of his ofce. It was my desire to establish standards of service and levels of professionalism that had not been seen before, he says, hoping such improve9
counterparts were also retired law enforcement or active members of their local law enforcement communities with a diversied knowledge base and experience to share. Its my desire that this association will bring a level of professionalism across the board to all Adventist entities, so were all providing similar services in a professional manner, says Hodges. Setting the bar, so to speak. During its second annual meeting in 2012, PASS adopted an ofcial constitution and bylaws in addition to laying out several goals. One goal is the development of a Web SECURITY FOCUS: PASS ofcers. Back row, left to right: Lewis Eakins, vice president (chief of the Oakpage under the umbrella wood University Police Department); Melvin Harris, sergeant at arms (captain of the Oakwood Universi- of the General Conference ty Police Department); Dale Hodges, president (director of the Ofce of Campus Safety, Andrews Univerof Seventh-day Adventists. sity). Front row, left to right: James Vines, General Conference director at large (director of Security and Safety for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists); Blaise Adams, secretary (ofce manager, This Web site will allow PASS to provide its memCampus Safety, Southern Adventist University); Paul Muniz, chaplain (director of Agency Safety and Security for ADRA); Brian Worden, treasurer (foreman for Plant Services, Review and Herald Publishing bers with resources of Association). working policies and guidelines for emergency management that include requirements ments would eliminate negative perceppublished by the Department of Hometions. When we raise the standards, land Security and the Department of everybody wins. Education. Other goals include the Hodges felt the best way to raise standevelopment of a peer review team to dards, both at Andrews and other evaluate the security services of instituAdventist institutions, was to develop tions at their request and suggest possian organization to provide models and ble improvements; the collection of a lists of best practices for safety and database for persons or things of intersecurity ofces in the Adventist comest; and recommendations for Clery Act munity. During the summer of 2010 compliance and adherence to NFPA, Hodges contacted his counterparts at OSHA, and EPA regulations and guidevarious Adventist colleges and institulines within our institutions. tions to see whether there was interest The 2013 PASS conference is schedin forming such an organization. The uled for July 15-16, 2013, at Loma Linda response was overwhelming. Some CONFERENCE ORGANIZER: Suzy Douma, University. For information on attenddepartments committed to attending a retired police captain, is director of secuing, contact Dale Hodges, current PASS the meetings, and those that could not rity at Loma Linda University. She is orgapresident and director of the Andrews stated their support. Meeting dates and nizing this years meeting of the ProfesUniversity Ofce of Campus Safety, at an agenda were set and the rest fell into sional Adventists for Safety and Security, scheduled for July 15-16. dbhodges@andrews.edu. n place. Hodges learned that many of his
10
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Photo courtesY Loma L inda UniversitY
A ndrews Universit Y photo
NORTH AMERICA
Morris Venden, Noted Adventist Preacher, Author, Dies at 80

Ministered to generations, had wide influence
By JAY WINTERMEYER,Upper Columbia Conference, reporting from College Place, Wash.
Morris L. Venden, well-known husband, father, Seventh-
the consummate statesman, Morrie was deeply respected and admired everywhere he served, he added. day Adventist preacher, teacher, and author, passed to his Along with writing more than 30 books about Jesus, Venrest Sunday evening, February 10, 2013. Venden was 80 years den was a widely sought-after speaker and has been old and died following a 10-year battle with frontotemporal described as a master of the art dementia, or FTD, a comparaof preaching, and most of all, tively rare form of dementia. someone who loved Jesus. His wife, Marilyn; one son, Lee, His books were like an and his wife, Marji; two oasis of fresh spirituality. They daughters, Lynn and LuAnn uplifted Christ, not just keepVenden; three grandchildren, ing the Sabbath and keeping Kris, Lindsey, and Mark; one the law, said Ovidiu Radbrother, Louis, and Louis wife, ulescu, a pastor now living in Margie, survive. Arkansas, who in Communist During his ministry VenRomania secretly typed and den pastored several large distributed translated copies Seventh-day Adventist conof Vendens 1980 book Faith gregations, including the La That Works. Sierra University Church and The tagline from that book, Pacic Union College Church as listed on Amazon.com, is in California and the Union You dont get righteousness College Church in Nebraska. by seeking righteousness. Later he led the Azure Hills Righteousness comes by seekSeventh-day Adventist ing Jesus. Church near Loma Linda, CalI know several people who ifornia, from which he retired chose to stay in the church in August 1998. because of reading Morris VenAt Azure Hills Venden held dens books, Radulescu said. three services each Sabbath Vendens son, Lee, said, Dad that were lled to capacity. will be remembered for the His son, Lee, recalled his one string on his violin that he fathers advice, as he became PREACHING LEGEND: Morris L. Venden, longtime Seventhconsistently talked about; a pastor: The world and the day Adventist preacher, teacher, and author, passed to his Jesus, and the privilege availSeventh-day Adventist able to everyone to have a Church are starving for more rest on February 10, 2013. meaningful friendship with of Jesus. . . . Any pastor who Him. At this point it seems clear Dad will be able to sleep will make Jesus the one string on his violin will be in this disease off; the long sleep from our perspective, the demand. short sleep from his. In retirement Venden briey joined the Voice of Prophecy Vendens memorial service was scheduled to be held in (VOP) radio ministry team as an associate speaker. the Loma Linda University Church, on Sunday, March 3, Morrie agreed to preach on our 30-minute Sunday 2013. n broadcast and also appeared at dozens of appointments and camp meetings for the VOP, recalled Lonnie Melawith additional reporting by Mark A. Kellner and Adventist shenko, who at the time was VOP speaker/director. Always News Network
UCC photo
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BRAND-NEW CHURCH: Faith Seventh-day Adventist Church in the city of Higey in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic was the twenty-fth new church to be dedicated by the local union. Its so new that the sign isnt on the building yet.
INTER-AMERICA
Adventists to Open 25 New, 25 Remodeled Churches in Dominican Republic

Membership approaches 282,000 attending 686 congregations.
By BERNARDO MEDINA, Inter-American Division, reporting from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
MaintaininG eXistinG worship
facilities and building new ones is a goal Seventh-day Adventist church leaders in the Dominican Republic have in order to keep pace with the needs of a fast-growing membership. During a recent series of dedication ceremonies, 25 new churches throughout the island country were inaugurated. Another 25 are being remodeled, leaders said. This has been possible only thanks to Gods grace and to the thousands of church members who have contributed toward the development of the church throughout the island, said Pastor Cesario Acevedo, president of the church in the Dominican Republic. We praise God because 25 new congregations can worship and glorify the
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name of our Lord in a dignied and proper way, he added. With a membership of more than 284,000 attending some 686 churches,
the church leadership developed a plan to better some of the buildings that are in precarious conditions and in great need to be rebuilt, church leaders said. Church members jumped on board thanks to a united church, said Moise Javier, treasurer for the church in the Dominican Republic. Each member has recognized their responsibility and is willing to contribute talents and resources in order to accomplish great things for the church and the community. The Faith Adventist Church in the city of Higey in the eastern part of the island was the twenty-fth new church to be dedicated, an event that took place on the nal Sabbath of 2012, December 29. Church leaders and hundreds of members lled the church for a special thanksgiving program to commemorate the new building. Twenty-ve more Adventist churches are scheduled to be rebuilt and remodeled this year, administrators said. Administrators have no doubts about reaching the goal this year thanks to a committed membership. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Dominican Republic operates a hospital, a university, dozens of primary and secondary schools, and 20 radio stations throughout the island. For more on the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Dominican Republic, visit adventistas.org.do. n
UNION PRESIDENT: Pastor Cesario Acevedo speaks during the inaugural ceremony for the La Fe (Faith) Seventh-day Adventist Church of Higey in the eastern part of the island on December 29, 2012.
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A DVE N TisT L i F E
SOU ND B iTE
My wife recently told me an interesting story. When she was young, she went to her grandmothers house for the summer. Her brother, a year younger than she, wrote her a letter. In the letter he told her that their family had turned vegetarian and that now we are eating something that resembles rubber heels.
N. Gordon Thomas, ANgwIN, CALIFORNIA
It is possible to lie without saying a word. People may do so by a nod of the head, a wink of the eye, a wave of the hand, or merely by remaining silent.
Thomas Chitowe, GURUVE, ZIMBABwE, AS A cAUTION TO ADVENTISTS TO MONITOR ThEIR BEhAVIOR IN REgARD TO TRUThFULNESS
My husband, the boys dean, and I live in a boarding academy boys dormitory. As we eagerly awaited the birth of our rst child this past summer, I was a little uncertain how the boys would feel about the baby when they returned to school. Would the baby make too much noise for the boys; would the boys make too much noise for the baby? Would they dislike the extra demands on our time? Shortly after the boys returned to school my husband told me that every night in worship with his RAs (resident assistants), one of them would pray, Please help the baby to sleep so that Mrs. Knight can get some rest. Ive frequently been asked, Hows the baby, Mrs. Knight? or Can I hold the baby, Mrs. Knight? The baby even made a candid appearance with one of the boys in his school Names and Faces picture. I shouldnt have worried. After all, one of the best things about boarding academy life is that were all just one big family!
Jaclyn Knight, HUTchINSON, MINNESOTA
DiD YOU K NOW?
Here are some interesting dates regarding vegetarianism in the United States.
By the way, hows that vegeburger? 1838: Vegetarianism endorsed in the U.S. by the American Health Convention 1971: Publication of Diet for a Small Planet, by Frances Moore Lappe, launches vegetarian movement in U.S. One percent of U.S. citizens describe themselves as vegetarian. 1983: Dr. John McDougalls The McDougall Planthe rst book promoting veganism by a credentialed Western medical authorityis published. 2003: Vegetarian food (such as soy milk and textured vegetable protein) sales double since 1998 to $1.6 billion. 2011: MyPlate replaces MyPyramid, ending 19 years of food pyramid guidelines from the U.S. government. According to the diagram, protein is a component of a healthy diet, but meat is not specically mentioned.
1838
1990
2011
1900-1960: As transportation and refrigeration improve, meat consumption increases.
1974: Vegetarian Times magazine is founded by Paul Obis.
1990s: Medical evidence supporting the superiority of vegetarian diets becomes overwhelming. The American Dietetic Association ofcially endorses vegetarianism, and books by prominent doctors promote low-fat vegan or mostly vegan diets (e.g., The McDougall Program and Dr. Dean Ornishs Program for Reversing Heart Disease).
FROM AN OcTOBER 12, 2012, TAkEPART ARTIcLE AVAILABLE AT hTTP://NEwS.YAhOO.cOM/LOOk-AROUND-AMERIcA-VEgETARIANISM-ISNT-gOINg-ANYwhERE-155700692.hTML
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GLOW Stories
Giving Light to Our WorldGLOWis an outreach initiative in multiple NAD conferences based on the concept of church members carrying Adventist literature with them wherever they go and handing it out, free of charge, at every opportunity. Here are two short stories of lives touched by GLOW:
Giving Light to Our World

hairdresser in California found two pieces of literature Story 1 A addressing the topic of Sabbath in two different places. After she found the second one she wondered whether it might be a sign from God, so she prayed and asked the Lord to somehow give her one more piece of literature on that subject if she was supposed to learn more about the Sabbath. Not long after, a person distributing literature in Fresno handed her a GLOW tractthe topic was the seventh-day Sabbath. The woman broke into tears. She soon called the GLOW ofce number listed on the tract and signed up for Bible studies. She recently was baptized and now stocks her local Adventist church with GLOW tracts. husband and wife who own a small store in which they sell Story 2 A wholesome, healthful bread placed a rack lled with GLOW tracts near the front of their store. One day two customers who at rst looked like they were going to buy some bread instead expressed interest in the tracts. When we go on walks, we like to give out religious literature door to door, they told the store owners. These GLOW tracts will be great to distribute. The store owners said the customers inspired them to be faithful and to let their light shine more fully at every opportunity.
Stories compiled bY Central California Conference GLOW director Nelson Ernst. To learn more about GLOW, go to sdaglow.org.
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R icardo Camacho
Searching the Obvious
Precious Item
I forGot to praY.
*** At 7:30 a.m. my colleague and friend Martin stops by my ofce and places a box on the corner of my desk. Its a gift from his wife, Tracy. He explains that over the weekend, as they walked through the botanical gardens, they saw this item and thought of me. I barely have a chance to thank Martin as he quickly heads out to teach. I have to get to my 8:00 class. I look at the box, the heavy lid and thick green bow. What exactly made them think of me? I carefully lift the lid and see the delicate, beautiful gift: a bonsai embedded in a beautiful clay pot. Engraved on the clay pot is the phrase: Precious Item. At the bottom of the box is a pamphlet. There it is, in bold print: Five Simple Steps to Care for Precious Item: Water, Soil, Housing, Pruning, and Light. As I quickly thumb through the simple steps (six pages with 10-point font, Arial Narrow), I feel an urgency to return the bonsai to Martin and Tracy with a note that would convey the sentiment Thank you, but I dont think so. This is too complicated. Instead, I place the bonsai back in the box and begin my walk to the classroom. As I walk across campus I walk past students, colleagues, the janitor that sings every morning while she completes a nal walk through of the building, the gardener that calls everyone sir and maam, and a few strangers that I cannot identify as visitors or students. Entering the classroom, I realize: I forgot to pray in my ofce. My day is dependent on constant prayer! I immediately say a silent prayer. Every morning when I reach my ofce I take a moment to pray for guidance, for strength to complete tasks I may not know are ahead for that day. Ive already had a morning devotional at home; still I need the presence of the Holy Spirit in this environment. Working in a secular educational institution is a challenge. On a daily basis I recognize that my witness and ministry are by example. This is not always easy. I am conscious that I must walk these halls accompanied by heavenly grace. I glance at my lecture notes and notice I have inadvertently included the bonsai pamphlet in my lecture folder. Water, soil, housing, pruning, and light. Any precious item would thrive with those components. Any precious item would grow and take a beautiful shape with these components. Precious items like the students sitting here, like Martin, Tracy, and me. Suddenly my mind is inundated with reminders of Bible verses that speak of these components as necessary: living water, seed that fell on good soil, house built on rock, the vine and the branches, the light and the way. I am amazed at the extraordinary ways in which God reminds me of the ministry I am called to bear witness to. *** Back in my ofce I consult the pamphlet to nd the best housing for the bonsai. I am certain a proper name is in order. As I work, Tracy stops by for a visit. She arrives as I am placing the bonsai near the window to soak in the light. I am grateful to have the opportunity to thank her for the gift in person. She tells me she is a ministers daughter. She knows how hard it can be not to have the luxury to speak openly of your faith. When I read the bonsai steps for care, I thought: This is what I try to do in my Christian life, says Tracy. The precious item we share with others is our example, our faith. I wanted you to know that I see you. I see your example. Her words give me courage and also place a weight on my shoulders that only prayer will take care of. At the end of the day the bonsai has acquired a proper name: Faith. Because a visual reminder of why I pray every day is not only good to have, it is easy to share with others: water, soil, housing, pruning, and light. n
DiXil Rodrguez, a universitY professor and volunteer hospital chaplain, lives in north TeXas. Join the conversation at searchingtheobvious@diXilrodriguez.com.
Dixil
Rodrquez
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Cover Story
Starts
here is a room somewhere in the back of a church or maybe in the basement. Its purpose is similar to other roomsa place to study, to learn, and to visit. But this room is a little different. Its walls may be painted a soft muted color with snowake cutouts taped to them. Perhaps there are colorful pictures of penguins tacked to bulletin boards and tinsel icicles dangling from white ceiling panels. There is usually an upright piano in the corner played by someone who knows all the tunes that will be sung that day. And at the front of the room, next to a blue felt board, stands a woman or man or a duo of both who will have loaded up on an energy-fueling breakfast in order to carry out the task at hand. There will also be boxes of props rubber ducks, small hammers, stuffed
It
ere
animals, and felt owers neatly placed in front of rows of tiny, colorful chairs. But it is the inhabitants of these chairsof this roomthat make this class so special. They le insome shy and others boldaccompanied by moms and dads or sometimes, just dads and other times just moms, and even grandparents. They are dressed in their Sabbath best tiny suits with coordinating shirts and ties; khakis and button-downs and little sweater-vests; and dresses and tights with pretty clips in their hair. The babies are present as wellnestled in wellcushioned car-seat carriers, they too are dressed in their best. Teacher Ruth or Teacher David, or whoever the case may be that Sabbath, welcomes each child with cheerful grins, cuddly stuffed animals, and welcome songs that many of us may still remember from our own days in classes such as these. These are the children of beginner Sabbath school. Tiny tots from newborns to preschool-ready toddlers who
Photos bY merle poirier
BY Wilona Karimabadi
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WhY bEGINNER SAbbATh schOOL Is so impoRTanT.
attend a class created especially for them. But at their ages and developmental levels, why does it matter that they come? Are beginner Sabbath school classes Sabbath morning day care or something much, much greater?
Where Did It Come From?

Beginner Sabbath school (ages 0-2) was better known as cradle roll for many years. It is the rst class a child is introduced to under the umbrella of the childrens division in most Adventist churches. Other classes for the youngest members of our churches include kindergarten, primary, and junior. The age groups in these classes vary from church to church, but generally the beginner class welcomes its tiniest members from babyhood until they are ready for either a beginner II or kindergarten class environment (ages 3-5). According to Gary Swanson, associate director for the General Conferences Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Department, childrens Sabbath school in the Seventh-day Adventist movement had interesting and humble beginnings. In the late nineteenth century, Protestant churches began Sunday school programs under the name Sabbath school, as Sundays were considered the Sabbath. They were initially outreach programs to
children who had to work instead of attending school. The idea behind them was to provide academic education while slipping a little religion into the mix. Among early Adventists, Sabbath school work didnt come about until 1852, when James White authored 19 lessons for children and youth that were published in the Youths Instructor. The rst Sabbath school classes for adults were organized in 1853 while James and Ellen White were in Rochester, New York, and in the early days there were only two divisionschildren and adults. But the Sabbath school concept was of great importance to Ellen Whites ministry. The Sabbath school is an important branch of the missionary work, she wrote. Not only because it gives young and old a knowledge of Gods Word, but because it awakens in them a love for its sacred truths, and a desire to study them for themselves; above all, it teaches them to regulate their lives by its holy teachings.1 More formal organization followed in 1869 when Goodloe Bell became editor of the Youths Instructor. He created two series of lessonsfor children and youthand published plans for organizing leaders. This more formal approach was implemented in Battle Creek, Michigan. Once it gained initial success, the concept of organized Sabbath school took ight. The very rst childrens division was formed in 1878 and was actually called
the Birds Nest. This soon morphed into the kindergarten division in 1886, and by 1890 children were able to receive Our Little Friendthe weekly paper for the beginner and kindergarten Sabbath school, still in publication today. Over the years the churchs Sabbath school programs have been redened and reorganized. Though cradle roll was the beloved name of the beginner class, the latter moniker became widely known with the development and implementation of the GraceLink curriculum in 2000. And as the result of a recent reassessment initiative, new material in the form of artwork, resources, program ideas for leaders and parents of special-needs children, etc., have debuted for the junior level this year, with more to follow soon for other age levels.
Do the Wee Ones Really Understand?

The littlest ones in beginner class some too small to sit upright in their chairs by themselvesabsorb everything going on around them like sponges. Developmentally, there are vast differences between a newborn and a 6-month-old, so just imagine what is happening with them cognitively during those crucial rst yearsa time in which they will learn much more than in other periods of their lives. Donna Habenicht, Ed.D., professor emeritus of educational and counseling
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psychology at Andrews University, coauthored Teaching the Faith: An Essential Guide for Building Faith-shaped Kids, with Larry Burton, professor of curriculum and instruction at Andrews University. Babies, toddlers and 2-year-olds can learn many things in Sabbath school, including religious, social, and character-developing experiences, which include prayer, singing and moving to music, sharing, listening, giving an offering, saying Jesus name and recognizing the Bible as Gods book.2 Though children this young have short attention spans, they are very capable of gleaning much, relying on their senses to learn the most. Thus they benet immensely from a program lled with prop boxes of goodies such as felts and small toys, felt boards to wham pictures of Jesus and shepherds and animals onto, and of course, short and sweet songs. Children of this age group also respond well to repetitiona technique employed by the most experienced beginner Sabbath school leaders. I like beginners because you stick to the same program as they need that repetition, says Jane Morrison, a veteran beginner class teacher currently serving at Spencerville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Maryland. By the time we change programs, theyre kind of just catching on. Parents will say, Oh, its nice to have a new program, but for a child that age, they need to keep doing it and doing it and doing it.
And it sticksin more ways than you may realize. My mother told me that when I was 14 or 15 months old, she took me to what we then called cradle roll, says Aileen Andres Sox, editor of Our Little Friend. It seemed to her as if I were paying attention to everything but the teacher. She remembers thinking that if I werent going to learn anything, she might as well go to her own class, taking me along with her. The very next day she noticed I was walking rather oddly and repeating tee toe, tee toe over and over. She nally realized that I was trying to sing Tiptoe, tiptoe, little feet. When she began to sing the song, I was absolutely gleeful and tiptoed to the music. Never again did Mother think going to my Sabbath school was a waste of time.
And It Matters Because . . .

In the life of a church there is a past, present, and future. As adults we straddle the line between the past and the present. But the future of the church lies squarely in the hands of our progenyour littlest ones. There is a saying from Malawi that goes Nkhuzi nkhu ma thole, says Saustin Mfune, associate director of the Childrens Ministries Department at the General Conference. It literally translates to the bulls are in the
calves. The essence of the saying is that if you want strong reliable bulls, you must take care of the calves. Its hard to ready babies and toddlers in their Sabbath nery for Sabbath school and church and make it there on time. Its harder still when they cant sit quietly and you know there is no way the family will make it through an entire service with a restless baby/toddler. But going week after week is crucial. As much as I want parents involved, I also want them to be assured that there is value in bringing their little children to Sabbath school, says Tina Pillai, who leads beginners at New Hope Seventh-day Adventist Church in Fulton, Maryland. When parents are excited and motivated about what is going on in Sabbath school, they will bring their kids regularly to church, and when parents participate in Sabbath school, they become agents for change. Going to Sabbath school with a baby, toddler, or 2-year-old is a supportive experience for babys parents, adds Habenicht. They meet other people in the church who have babies, and they support each other in baby rearing. They observe how the teacher teaches their child and are encouraged to teach their little ones at home. On mother-of-four Chrystal Kueters rst visit to an Adventist church, she was hesitant to involve herself and her little ones in Sabbath school.
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Best Practices for Beginner Sabbath School Leaders

BY Teacher Jane Morrison
I thought you had to drop them off at a gloried day care as in other churches, she says. So when I was encouraged to stay, I have to be honest, I was really disappointed. But as I watched my son eagerly learning about nature and God, I was stunned! I was moved to tears and blessed more than if Id gone to a month of Sabbath school classes on my own. I was so moved by the tender way they taught the very young. I was also blessed to be an example for my son, and sit with him to model that example. That early exposure to the simplest concepts of our faith in developmentally appropriate ways does make a big difference. Helping young children grow spiritually nurtures the bud of spirituality that God has placed in the human heart. Eventually the bud becomes the full-bloom rose of spiritual devotion.3 In a room at the back of the church, a beginner class is ending. A little boy no older than 18 months toddles to a prop box and reaches insidemimicking his teacher. He nds a little orange felt ag with the word Jesus on it. Excited, he waves it around and with a big smile on his sweet face, says: Ree-zuz! In the end, isnt that what its all about? n
1 Ellen G. White, Testimonies on Sabbath School Work (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1900), pp. 109, 110. 2 Donna Habenicht and Larry Burton, Teaching the Faith: An Essential Guide for Building Faith-shaped Kids (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 2004), p. 213. 3 Ibid., pp. 211, 212.
Love the children and tell them so! And throw kisses as they leave. Know your families. Call each child by name. As they come in, greet them by name even if the program has begun. Touch and hug them as appropriate. Be prepareddont read. Youre going to use the program for several months, so learn it. You may need some help to remember the order. Place cards or the program sheet where you will pick up your toolsthe props. Be super-organized, but at the same time adaptable. Some Sabbaths you may have such full attendance that youll need to skip the more involved activities. Or maybe you just sense things are too busy and choose to use certain activities to calm the children. Watch the pitch of your voice. Try to keep an even, normal tone. Sometimes whisper and youll be amazed at the calming effect it has on the little ones. If necessary, ask parents to be quiet. They dont mean to distracttheyre usually so happy to see another adult or friend beside them that they begin to visit. Ask them to participate with their child in the program. Be accepting. If a child comes up front, pick them up or use them to help. Then help them back to their seat when appropriate. Assure the parents its OK. I like to have coleaders up front. It helps to alternate speakinggiving each other a break, collecting the next item, and providing another voice. If it works, include a man and a woman. Ive had some great coleaders in my time. Use as many 3-D items as possiblestuffed animals, mitts, little wooden hammers and wood, etc. You may also want to use at least one of those good old felt activities in each program and let them pat-pound away. They love it! Be creative. Always keep your eyes and ears open for new activities and items. Recently I heard some laughing as we were leaving a Cracker Barrel restaurant. I looked and found the laughing coming from a peekaboo bear. I just had to have two for Sabbath school as beginner-age children love playing peekaboo. Its an excellent prop to use at the beginning of our program to get their attention and welcome them. And one more! When you have a nature or other type of program instead of a Bible story program such as Noahs ark, heaven, Little Boy Jesus, etc., make sure you are always conscious to say, Jesus made the animals. Jesus takes care of the animals. Jesus lets us help take care of the animals. Jesus sees us. Jesus loves us.
Jane Morrison teaches beginners Sabbath school at Spencerville Seventh-daY Adventist Church in Silver Spring, MarYland.
Wilona Karimabadi taught beginner Sabbath school for manY Years when her now-teen and -tween kids were little, and appreciates what it did for her faith and theirs.
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Devotional
she tucked him in at night, hed tell her all the fun stories from his school days playing with his comrade. In the mornings when he got up, he was excited to go back to school because he knew his friend was going to be there. One day she arrived at the school earlier than usual to pick up her son. He saw her at the door and came running, as children often do when they catch a glimpse of Mom. He gave her a hug and then immediately pointed across the room so that he could show her who his new friend was. Hes right there! he said, beaming and pointing. Which one? she asked, perplexed as she followed his tiny finger into a sea of children. The kid in the red shirt! When her eyes landed on her childs friend, she couldnt help smiling. In a
SEEing wiTh JEsus EyEs

BY HEATHER THOMPSON DAY
had a student in the English class I was teaching at a community college a couple years ago tell me the most beautiful story. I was talking to them about my life growing up as a biracial child. For me, the combining of two different cultures has been precious. I have never had any real confusion about who I was or where I belonged. I grew up with both my Black father and White mother, who loved each other dearly. There really was not much room for confusion, because I knew them both, loved them both, and knew that they loved me. My students story was about her son. He had been attending his rst year of school and often came home raving to his mother about his new friend. When
Red
class with 25 or so children, every child in her sons room was White except her sons best friend, who was wearing a red shirt. In a room in which all but one shared the same skin tone, her son could not think of a single characteristic that would identify his friend to his mother from the other children in the room, except for his red shirt.
Identifying Me
When my student told me that story, I was moved. There is a reason that Christ said that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, we would rst need to become like children. Children are precious. Children dont hate until they are rst taught hate. There are a lot of things Jesus could
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(2 14 ) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 14, 2013
Shirt
our shortcomings because we fear we will lose respect. We keep things from one another, sometimes even from our closest friends, for fear that if they found out they wouldnt see us anymore, and theyd just see the sin.
use to point us out to His Father. I can just see Him discussing bringing me into the kingdom. Thats her! Hed say, beaming as Hed point me out to God the Father. Which one? Hed respond. Now, at this point there are a million things Jesus could use to identify me. He could point me out as the girl thats been a hypocrite or the same girl who stole that ankle bracelet from the convenience store in ninth grade and to this day has never been caught for it. The girl who threw up all over her twin bed the rst time she got drunk in high school, or that girl who lost her cool and spewed a few choice words when she got cut off on the highway (and that one was more recent than Id like to admit). We try not to tell each other about
As I read this part, I did what I often do while reading or listening to stories: I put myself in the leading characters shoes. I thought, If that were my husband, I would leave him. I am not saying that is the right thing to do, and I am not saying that is what everyone else should do. I am simply saying what I think I would do in this situation. In Lucados book the couple is on vacation together, reecting and crying, and trying to gure out how to move forward. The woman is trying to gure out if she can move on from this indelity. Lucado
Red Shirts All

We do not deserve Christ. We have hurt Him, we have disgraced Him, we have betrayed Him, and if He came back right now, I believe many of us would crucify Him all over again. If you are sunk in the guilt of your past, so much so that you cannot breathe or move, lie still, because Jesus wants you. On your pillow is a card, and on that card is a note penned from the hand of Christ that reads: I forgive you. I love you. Lets move on. Jesus, the one whom they called Christ, is so good, because everything we have done, every secret sin Hes seen us do in the dark, means nothing to Him the second we have sincerely repented and sought His forgiveness. Im not perfect, but at least I know what a loser I am; and because of that, I am forced to seek His shelter and guidance every morning the second my eyelids open. Yes, there are a million different things Jesus could use to point me out to the Father. Lucky for me, Hell just stand there beaming, proud to point me out in the crowd. And the single characteristic that He notices that would distinguish loser me from a roomful of saints is my red shirt. In heaven well all be wearing red. It will be the color for every season. Trust me, no matter what youve done or where youve been, you can still seek the refuge of Christ, and when you do, stand tall and be proud to slip on that beautiful, distinguishable, bright-red shirt. Thats My friend! Jesus will say, smiling. The one washed in the blood of the Lamb. n
Heather Thompson Day is working on her Ph.D. at Andrews UniversitY. Her most recent book is CRAckED GLASSES, the Review and Heralds 2013 Young adult devotional.
ON THAT CARD IS A NOTE PENNED fROm THE HAND Of CHRIST THAT READS: I fORGIVE YOU. I LOVE YOU. LETS mOVE ON.
I Forgive You. Lets Move on

I read a devotional entry once by Max Lucado in his book Just Like Jesus, in which he talked about a personal friend who had had an affair. The affair had happened more than a decade earlier, and the husband never confessed it. When his wife nally did nd out, 10 years later, they dropped everything and took a trip together to put out the noise of the world and focus on each other and their relationship.
says this: In this case the wife was clearly in the right. She could have left. Women have done so for lesser reasons. Or she could have stayed and made his life a living hell. Other women have done that. But she chose a different response. On the tenth night of their trip my friend found a card on his pillow. On the card was a printed verse: Id rather do nothing with you than something without you. Beneath the verse she had written these words: I forgive you. I love you. Lets move on. I was struck by this story, because in the character of this woman I recognized the character of Christ. Romans 3:23 reminds us: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
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Story
presence to reassure us that all was well in our suburb of Nairobi, Kenya. But where were they? Worse yet, why did their emergency center not take my call? I dialed and dialed, but my call went unanswered. The banging on our security bars continued, and the thugs began working on our doors. Thankfully, our solid metal doors resisted their assault for a while.
So Much to Protect
Our two girls hid under the blankets in our bed. Young and small, their tiny bodies hardly made a bump where they lay huddled. I headed back downstairs with my wife, Beate, behind me, shouting and yelling in the hope of perhaps scaring them away. I had no weapon in the house nothing. I reached for my toolbox and grabbed a rubber mallet. Now I stood, fearing the worst, feeling naked and completely vulnerable in my pajamas. If only I had a weapon, I thought, things might be different. Nobody came to our rescue; least of all the police, notorious for showing up well after the fact, if at all. Finally the door gave, and in rushed the rst individual. Whack! I hit the mans head with the mallet, and he reeled and crashed to the oor. Six other men erupted into our living room, shouting and yelling for money and valuables. One of the intruders went straight to our pantry and stuffed his mouth with raw pasta shells. They seemed to be high on drugs; perhaps they had sniffed too much glue. Why dont I have a gun? The next thing I knew, one of the men lifted a crowbar over my head and brought it down savagely. Instinctively, I raised my arm to deect the blow, but it still glanced my head. My arm felt funny; something warm trickled down my head and formed a large, crimson stain on my blue pajamas. My wife was also assaulted. A blow landed on her shoulder, grazing her ear, but leaving her standing and comparatively unscathed. Stunned, I threw one or two hundred dollars in cash, and my wristwatch (a wedding present from my wife) at the
Need a
PROTEcTING OURsELVEs FROM ThE Bad Things ouT ThERE
Do I
GUN?
busying themselves. I turned all the lights on, ran upstairs to our bedroom, and ipped the switch of the siren on the roof. It began to wail in the darkness, building to a crescendo, alerting the whole neighborhood that we were victims of a break-in. Frantically I grabbed my cell phone and called 9-1-1 and our security agency, which, according to their ads and our contract, was supposed to be only minutes away in the case of an incident. Their car was usually parked a couple miles away from the gates of our residential neighborhood, a discreet
A
24
BY CLAUDE RICHLI
loud banging sound woke us shortly before 4:00 one morning. Apprehension lled my heart as I raced downstairs. What I saw conrmed my worst fears. Someone was hard at work, trying to smash, break, or saw through the metal bars that protected our windows. Peeking outside, I saw in the glare of the lights, two or three dark gures
(216) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 14, 2013
men. I shouted, Youre being watched by holy angels, who are recording your every move. Hearing these words, my attacker stopped, looked around slowly, and then made his way to the door. The others followed. They quickly disappeared into the night, leaving behind the one I had knocked out with my rubber mallet.
What If?
The man roused, stood slowly, and looked at me, pained. Then came my second shock of the night: it was James, our gardener, who lived in a small house behind ours. He explained that when the intruders had broken into the property, which was protected by a high fence, he had tried to intervene, but they had quickly immobilized him. When the door had nally given way, they had thrust him forward as a human shield, in case I was armed. Subsequently he had received the blow on the head. Instantly I knew why I didnt have a gun. I would have killed him, even while he was trying to protect me and my family! In fact, as I reached for my toolbox 15 minutes earlier for something to protect us, I had hesitated for a moment: should I take my heavy, carpenters hammer or the silly rubber mallet? I chose the latter. I couldnt have been happier: the carpenters hammer would have broken his skull. It was a traumatic night for our family. Thankfully, the girls were unhurt and hadnt seen any of the violence. Beate was left with a bruise on her shoulder and deafness in one ear for a week or two. Within 48 hours we were able to move into a vacant house on the campus of Maxwell Adventist Academy, just a few miles away, leaving the worst of the bad memories behind. This gave us the safety we needed to serve another three years in Kenya. My recovery was the most difcult. It wasnt just that I had to sport a strange haircut because of the two-inch-long gash on the side of my head, and it wasnt because of the cast on my arm. It was the terrible sense of having let my family down. The dreadful scene played again and
again in my mind, feeding my sense of guilt: if only I had been better prepared, at least with a can of pepper spray. I could have easily sprayed the choking substance into the assailants faces while they were working on the window bars, taking care of the situation before it became worse. I wondered if I should have prayed instead of running around shouting like a madman. One thing I never regretted, however, was not having a gun that night. Had I had one, I may now have someones life on my conscience, the life of someone dear to us, someone who showed the utmost loyalty and courage.
The Violence Around Us
A few years later we woke up again in the middle of the night, this time because of gunshots that seemed so close as to be on the compound of the East-Central Africa Division, where we served. We were terried at the thought that our colleagues may have lost their lives to violence. The next morning all seemed to be normal, and none of our friends or coworkers were missing. Reports came back that a couple bodies lay on a side street, not far from our gates. The police left them there as a deterrent to criminals. Following this incident we decided that after four years in Africa, it was time to move on. As if to seal the decision in my mind, the national newspaper screamed in its next Sunday edition, in bold letters covering almost the entire page: 100,000 reasons to be afraid in Kenya! The story described the escalation of violence because of the estimated 100,000 guns circulating in the country. A few months later the country descended into violence following presidential elections. My family and I now live in the United States, a country with more than 300 million guns in circulation. Considering the mass shootings that have taken place at public events, in schools, at shopping malls, etc., we may well have 3,000 times more reasons to be
THEN CAmE mY sEcond SHOCK Of THE NIGHT.
afraid than in Kenya, and 3,000 times more reasons to have a gun at home (or in our purse or under the arm) and to leave the country. Although we dont always feel safe in the United States, and even though I may decide one day to replace the pepper sprays I eventually acquired but gave away when we left Kenya, I am convinced there are no good reasons I should have a gun. The unintended consequences of that sort of ownership frighten me even more than the possible consequences of not owning a gun. The words of Jesus to Peter resonate in my mind: Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword (Matt. 26:52). The 300 million guns, and the more than 30,000 lives lost to gunshot deaths every year in this country,* still fail to convince me to join the ranks of citizens who are armed and ready. Maybe one day, but that day hasnt come yet. n
* See Georgina Olson, More Than 30,000 People Die From Gunshot Wounds Each Year in the United States (Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 2010), www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/les/ Olson_21.pdf.
Claude Richli is associate publisher of ADVENTIST REVIEw and ADVENTIST WORLD magazines.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
1. Is there a difference between defending yourself and owning a gun? What is it? 2. You decide you should own a gun for self-protection. Your neighbor thinks about buying a gun but decides not to. Who is right? 3. What should be ones primary consideration when deciding whether or not to own a gun for protection? 4. How do texts such as Matthew 7:1 inuence what you think about this important topic?
25
Vital Signs
EXpLORING
HEALTH
the connection
AND GUN VIOLENCE

been linked to physical, mental, and social health as well as mortality. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Centers for Disease Control have documented violence as a major health problem in this country. The IOM states that in 2001, violence accounted for 45 million disabilityadjusted life years (DALYs) lost, with low- and middle-income countries bearing the largest burden.1 But violence can be prevented, and the IOMs Forum on Global Violence Prevention (FGVP) is working to reduce violence worldwide by promoting research on both protective and risk factors and encouraging evidence-based prevention efforts. The FGVP aims to facilitate dialogue and exchange by bringing together experts from all areas of violence prevention, including faith-based organizations, to address this concern. The World Health Organization also conrms a signicant health impact from this contagion of violence. Public health ofcials list violence as one of eight major factors negatively affecting
It
bY KATIA REINERT
was with much shock and sadness that North American Division president Daniel Jackson interrupted the proceedings during an administrative meeting on December 14, 2012, to announce the tragic news of the fatal shooting of 20 children and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Those of us at the meeting stopped what we were doing and together earnestly prayed for the families in pain. We couldnt believe that such young, precious children, together with teachers, would die in this senseless way. Evil seemed to prevail.
During such times of inexplicable tragedy many nd comfort in the assurance that this world is not our home and that soon the great controversy between good and evil will end. We look forward to the day that families will be reunited with loved ones whom they lost to death. We yearn to complete the task given to us by God to share the gospel message with the world so that He
26
can return soon and take us home. In the meantime, however, we cannot neglect to do everything we can to help reduce the risk of mass killings in our communities today.
Violence and Health

Violence in all its formsdomestic, gun, youth, gender-based, intimate partner, childhood, elderly, and so forthhas
the health of citizens in the United States.2 This is a major health issue that health ministries leaders in faith-based institutions must address. Johns Hopkins University recently held a summit on gun violence at which presenters and attendees discussed available research and evidence that support the need to reduce violence and thus its related health risks in the community.3
Gun Violence and Politics

There are those who view matters such as gun violence as political issues. Others, including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, view them differently. In line with current research, the ofcial Adventist Church statement regarding gun violence reads as follows: While it is true that violence and criminal inclinations lead to guns, it is also true that availability of guns leads to violence. The opportunity for civilians to acquire by purchase or otherwise automatic or semiautomatic assault weapons only increases the number of deaths resulting from human crimes. . . . Seventh-day Adventists . . . wish to cooperate in using every legitimate means of reducing, and eliminating where possible, the root causes of crime. In addition, with public safety and the value of human life in mind, the sale of automatic or semiautomatic assault weapons should be strictly controlled. This would reduce the use of weapons by mentally disturbed people and criminals, especially those involved in drug and gang activities.4 We must do what we can to help depoliticize the issue of gun violence. We can point to the research linking violence with adverse health factors, while sharing biblical principles that, if followed, can strengthen entire communities, families, and individuals. We also must ask the question Are we as individuals and
as a faith community doing enough to educate ourselves on the health consequences of violence, in order to raise awareness of the importance of violence prevention in all its formsincluding gun violence? Are we learning appropriate and helpful therapeutic ways to talk about violence with kids, answering questions they may have and addressing their possible fears of encountering violent situations? Many helpful resources are available that can help answer these questions from a public-health perspective (see sidebar). Its well worth the time to read and utilize these materials. Ultimately, we must grasp opportunities to point people to Christ, the Creator, healer, and restorer of our lives. Jesus said: I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10, NKJV).5 We look forward to the time our Savior will bring an end to the death and evil in this world; but until then, He calls us to be His lips, hands, and feet to make our communities places of health, healing, and wholeness today. Let us not neglect to do our part. n
Institute of Medicine, Forum on Global Violence Prevention, http://iom.edu/Activities/Global/ ViolenceForum.aspx. Accessed Feb. 5, 2013. 2 Surgeon general, National Prevention Strategy, www.surgeongeneral.gov/initiatives/prevention/ strategy/index.html. Accessed Feb. 7, 2013. 3 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Gun Policy Summit, www.jhsph.edu/events/gunpolicy-summit/agenda.html. Accessed Feb. 5, 2013. 4 Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ban on Sales of Assault Weapons to Civilians, http://adventist.org/ beliefs/statements/main-stat4.html. Accessed Feb. 5. 2013. 5 Texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
1
OnLinE RESOuRcES On PRevenTing GUn ViOLenCe

COMPILED BY KATIA REINERT
cga.ct.gov
Helping Children and Adults Cope With Events Like the Newtown School Shootings; Connecticut Commission on Children
Gun Violence Must Stop. Heres What We Can Do to Prevent More Deaths; PreventionInstitute
preventioninstitute.org
sesameworkshop.org
Talking to Children About Recent Events; Sesame Street Workshop
Katia Reinert, Ph.D.c., C.R.N.P., F.N.P.-B.C., P.H.C.N.S.-B.C., is director of the North American Division Health Ministries Department.
Statement in Response to the Elementary School Shooting in Connecticut; American Academy of Pediatrics
aap.org
savethechildren.org
Ten Tips to Help Children Cope; Save the Children
| March 14, 2013 |
( 2 1 9)
27
Introducing the Why
Faith Over Feeling

He simplY hunG in place, matted in blood and GaspinG for breath.
Though its often used in hyperbole, in this case the weightand, for that matter, the hopeof the world was literally on His shoulders. For the past 24 hours a universal audience of angels, demons, and unfallen beings had been xated on Planet Earth. They watched as beads of blood poured down His cheeks and as He was condemned by a kangaroo court. With their own eyes they saw His back bend under the ultimate symbol of humiliation before being nailed to it like a common criminal. After nearly 4,000 years of seeing through a glass darkly, they were coming face to face with the truth, which was suddenly so clear: Jesus was love, justice, mercy, and truth. Satan was not. On that dark afternoon the universe was enlightened with clarity. But inside the heart, mind, and soul of the Savior, evil forces sought to enshroud Him with doubt. As we know, when life is at its worst, Satan works his hardest, pouncing like a predator on a wounded animal that falls behind the safety of the herd. Ellen White sheds light on Satans unrelenting attacks on the wounded Son of God: The Savior could not see through the portals of the tomb. . . . He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was to be eternal (The Desire of Ages, p. 753). Undoubtedly, heavenly angels, who nally grasped the full scope of the great controversy, wanted to jump out of heaven and bring Jesus back to His rightful throne. But this had to be done, and He had to face it alone. For six hours a war waged within Jesus. Even as it did, He remained meek and peaceful, never once lashing out against those who were truly guilty. When the weight of sin became too great, Jesus bowed His head and left the world the same way He came in: humble and innocent. His last victory provides the ultimate example of trust, conviction, and courage. Ellen White wrote: In those dreadful hours He had relied upon the evidence of His Fathers acceptance. . . . He was acquainted with the character of His Father. . . . He committed Himself to God, the sense of the loss of His Fathers favor was withdrawn. By faith, Christ was the victor (ibid., p. 756).
Phillips
Jimmy
Faith Like Jesus

If youre anything like me, you run back to your favorite Bible promises when times get tough. In the face of adversity, uncertainty, and doubt the assurances of Scripture are a constant reminder that God is faithful and has our best interest in mind. One of my favorites, and perhaps one of yours too, is Proverbs 3:5, 6. Lets take a brief look at verse 5 (next month well examine verse 6): Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In my experience it seems we tend to hone in on the rst half of the verse, the part about trusting God. If youve ever conded in a Christian friend during a difcult time, youve undoubtedly heard such sentiments directed back to you: You just have to trust God. True, trust and faith are where each of us must begin when we face trials. However, without further detail, a plea to trust in God can sound ambiguous, clichd, and empty. Thats where the part about not leaning on our own understanding comes in. In His experience on the cross Jesus provided the perfect blueprint. Despite His dire circumstances and complete separation from God, Jesus didnt rely on a gut feeling. Instead He focused on the just, merciful, and loving character of His Father. As end-time believers were called to have similar perseverance in times of trouble (see Rev. 14:12). Follow the example of Jesus: Dont be captive to feelings; have faith in whom you know. He sees the beginning from the end. Most of the time, we can barely see at all. n
Jimmy Phillips (jimmYphillips15@gmail.com) writes from Bakersfield, California, where he is electronic media coordinator for San JoaQuin CommunitY Hospital. Visit his Web site at introducingthewhY.com.
28
Bookmark
CELEBRATIONS: Living Life to the Fullest

Allan Handysides, Peter Landless, Kathleen Kuntaraf, and Fred Hardinge. Softcover, 240 pages, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Health Ministries Department, 2012, US$14.99. Reviewed by David R. Williams, Norman Professor of Public Health and African and African-American Studies, Harvard University. his book is worth purchasing simply for the breathtaking pictures. Each page provides stunning photographs that reect the diversity of our planet in terms of both people and places. This coffee-table book, however, provides much, much more. Written by four health professionals who serve in the General Conference Health Ministries Department, CELEBRATIONS is packed with timely and practical scientically valid strategies to improve health. CELEBRATIONS is an acronym for key principles that provide a broad vision of health. Readers familiar with the eight laws of health will recognize several of them (exercise, liquid, rest, air, temperance, and nutrition). But scientic information is also presented on factors that we often dont think of as key drivers of health, such as choices, the environment, belief, integrity, optimism, and social support. The chapter on the role of the environment, for example, argues that environmental awareness is relevant to the maintenance of good health. Issues discussed include overpopulation, deforestation, sustainable agriculture/food distribution, energy conservation, air and water pollution, and domestic and agricultural waste. Surprisingly, this chapter does not include a discussion of the multiple ways in which plant-based diets offer
benets to the environment. The chapter on choices is excellent in providing the long-lasting consequences of our decisions. It recognizes that choices can be affected by contextual factors and indicates that stress and emotion can affect individual decisionmaking. Research indicates that most individuals will do things that they would not normally do if placed in a compelling situation. Accordingly, its important for Christians to learn to pay attention to situational cues and contexts of vulnerability and to avoid them, to the extent possible. In addition, many people live in conditions that impose severe limits on good choices; therefore, promoting health also requires us to pay greater attention to policies that create opportunities to facilitate healthful choices and initiatives that remove barriers to healthful living. Much can be done to create a culture supportive of good health in our homes, churches, schools, hospitals, and other institu-
tions. Every effort should be made to make the healthful choice, the easy choice. CELEBRATIONS is lled with detailed practical advice. For example, the chapter on exercise provides tips on selecting proper training shoes. Also important to note is that the many health recommendations in CELEBRATIONS are credible. The authors routinely present ofcial evidence-based guidelines from reputable professional organizations. Moreover, to maximize the practical value of the book, each chapter ends with a life-application section, which provides questions for individual reection and practical application, as well as for group discussion. A spiritual focus is a golden thread that runs through each chapter. CELEBRATIONS is a book that people will have a hard time putting down, and is an invaluable resource that can move each reader along the path to more healthful living. n
29
Essential Tools for Witnessing

Two major reference tools have recently been published that every Adventist should have at hand to answer Bible questions. What the Bible Says About . . . was written by veteran evangelist Mark Finley. It contains 32 studies that cover all the doctrines of Adventist faith. It uses the classic questionand-answer approach with Bible texts to address each question. The second book, Always Prepared: Answers to Questions About Our Faith, provides responses to often-debated questions in the contemporary context: How reliable is the Bible? How can miracles be possible? Are there moral absolutes? A total of 20 such topics are carefully examined, each by a different Bible scholar. Humberto Rasi and Nancy Vyhmeister, both of whom have distinguished careers in Adventist higher education, edited the collection. Pacic Press published both volumes, which are available through your local Adventist Book Center or at www. adventistbookcenter.com.
Tools of the Trade

full armor of God. Discussion panelists include well-known speakers Shawn Boonstra, Roscoe Howard, Dick Duerksen, and Rich Carlson. There are also downloadable discussion sheets. Published by Pacic Press, you can purchase these materials through your Adventist Book Center or directly from the author at www.dick stenbakken.com.
Responding With Practical Compassion

A growing number of Adventists are training and organizing to respond with practical help, in Christs name, to major disasters. First Response: Change Your World Through Acts of Love, by David Canther, is the story of ACTS World Relief, a disaster response team that goes to such places as Haiti after the earthquake and New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy. This book includes much practical information on helping devastated communities as well as some of the most helpful material I have ever seen on dealing with the spiritual questions and needs that arise in the wake of disaster. You can get a copy from major online booksellers.
Mens Bible Study

Former Adventist military chaplain Dick Stenbakken has produced two resources that could help your church reach out to men, which is a particular need in most congregations. The Centurion develops the story of the Roman ofcer who was in charge of the crucixion and a witness to the resurrection of Christ. It asks men to imagine what difference this experience might have made in the centurions life. Each chapter has discussion questions. The Armor of God is an eight-part DVD series exploring what Paul means when he urges in Ephesians 6 to put on the
30
most pressing questions for almost all pastors and congregations in North America. Three new books address this question with specic, doable answers: The Big Four: Secrets of a Thriving Church Family, by Joseph Kidder (Review and Herald Publishing Association), describes empowering leadership, passionate spirituality, active members, and the worship experience as key factors. It includes discussion tools to help you assess your local situation. How to Grow an Adventist Church, by Russell Burrill (HART Resource Center), is the culmination of the authors long career as an effective public evangelist and trainer of pastor-evangelists. He discusses natural church development, classic church growth theory as it applies to Adventist churches, friendship evangelism, and includes a chapter specically on how to relate to newcomers who show up at your church. As Jesus Did It, by Jos Corts (Xulon Press), describes the approach to small-group evangelism being used successfully in the New Jersey Conference, where the author is president. It provides a useful description of the methods used in immigrant churches, which are growing much faster than the average church in North America. The rst two books are available through your Adventist Book Center; the third, by Corts, can be purchased at www.xulonpress.com. n
Monte Sahlin is director of research and special projects for the Ohio Conference and a senior consultant at the Center for Creative MinistrY. Questions and suggestions can be sent to him at msahlin@creativeministrY.org.
Three New Books on Church Growth

How can we grow? That is one of the
Reflections
Nicknames
Juli-Buli, it is so Good for You to join us, the woman in the church
foyer gushed as she wrapped her arms around me. I stiffened as she released me from her bear hug. Only my dad calls me that, I grumbled to myself. To have a stranger use my dads nickname for me made me uncomfortable, but it reminded me of an important fact: nicknames are almost sacred. When friends call us by our nicknames, it is as if they are also saying, We are close. We have a history. We are friends. One of the most powerful truths in the Bible is that Jesus used nicknames for His disciples. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means sons of thunder) (Mark 3:16, 17). Jesus use of nicknames reveals something powerful about how He relates to us. Each nickname revealed how He loved each disciple uniquely, as there were individual traits about each one that Jesus acknowledged and loved. He knew Simon well enough to call him Peterthe stone; and James and John enough to call them the sons of thunder. Jesus love for His disciples and for us is not just a feeling of goodwill directed toward a group of people, but rather a love that takes in the distinctive qualities of each person. In a sense, each relationship Jesus has with His followers has its own DNA. He appreciates a sense of humor, a love for nature, a passion for cooking, or any other idiosyncratic quality that His followers might have. He loves, enjoys, and laughs with delight over His children. I wonder what it must have been like for Simon to hear Jesus call him Peter. Or what it must have been like for John to hear Jesus call him a son of thunder. It makes me think about the times I have heard my own nickname called. I love hearing my nicknameespecially after a long trip among strangers. When I arrive home and someone calls me Jules instead of Julie, I know I am where I belong. I am home. Peter, James, and John had the privilege of knowing what it was like to be at home with Christ. Jesus is calling each of us to be at home with Him. Can you imagine Him calling you by your nickname? What would it sound like? How would you feel when He said it? Not only can He call you by your earthly nickname, but He has a special nickname waiting for you in heaven. Jesus said, To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it (Rev. 2:17). God has an eternal nickname that He wants to share with you. And the name He has prepared for you will be between you and Himan intimate seal of your friendship forever. n
Julie CooK is an assistant professor of English at Adventist UniversitY of Health Sciences in Orlando, Florida.
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March 14, 2013

Prisoners of Fear Morris Venden Dies at 80 Do I Need a Gun?

Behold, I come quickly . . .

was teaching at a community colTHOMPSON-DAY HEAThER ThOMPSON-DAY

Sabbath school for toddlers? Why not?

There are all kinds of ways to describe each other.

The question of selfdefense is a complicated one.

Reclaiming the Library Prisoners of Fear

15 Searching the Obvious 28 Introducing the Why 29 Etc. 31 Reections

There are a lot of things Jesus could

(2 14 ) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 14, 2013

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I appreciated Sandra Black-

Tried and True, Old and New

Taking the Hint

a Greeting A Wave and Unafliated Religiously Worldwide Swell n? Divine Assassi

s Religiou in Freedom d the Unite es Stat

Kettle Falls, Washington

Study Ordination Named Committee Willing to Be Led

Religious Freedom in America

SEEKING IONSHIP COMPANIST WITH CHR

This is just a note to thank

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Im so glad we know the end of the story as Revelation

tells us. God wins, and I want to be on His side.

pauline N. pierson, Collegedale, Tennessee

I looked up the word mys-

Eric Andersons article

Berrien Springs, Michigan

Hooray for Jimmy Phillips

The Place of a Servant

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New Port Richey, Florida

Weve published two

errors related to photos. The photo that accompanied

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Reclaiming the Library

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One home; five historical events in Adventism.

A House for God

World News & Perspectives

Photos : W est I ndonesian Union

Wilson Meets Indonesias President Yudhoyono, Praises Religious Freedom

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Adventist Schools, Security Leaders, Unite to Keep Campuses Safe

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Morris Venden, Noted Adventist Preacher, Author, Dies at 80

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World News & Perspectives

Adventists to Open 25 New, 25 Remodeled Churches in Dominican Republic

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DiD YOU K NOW?

1900-1960: As transportation and refrigeration improve, meat consumption increases.

1974: Vegetarian Times magazine is founded by Paul Obis.