My family and I recently had the privilege of spending some time touring around Boston following a speaking appointment. Not being a city person, I had but mild anticipation. The primary goals were to expose my boys to some American history, and to have a couple relaxing days with friends. Both of those missions were accomplished.

But God, as He so often does, surprised me with an unexpected blessing and message.

That blessing and message? Freedom! 

As we drove and walked from place to place, I was repeatedly confronted with this most basic longing of the soul––American, or otherwise. The famous Boston walk is called The Freedom Trail. From Lexington and Battle Road, to North Bridge and the site of Paul Revere’s capture, the whole land is steeped in the grand quest for freedom.

God made us free to be free.

The human soul longs to be free, and in this sense American history is everyone’s history. That freedom is a universal and fundamental longing is easily demonstrated. One need only grab another human being suddenly and firmly …
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It was a spring morning like any other for my wife, Kathy and then two-year old son Eliah: playtime at the local park. Our son was enjoying himself in the sandbox, when another little boy showed up with his mom. As the boys got busy playing, the moms exchanged small talk. Kathy immediately noticed the jogging stroller and running clothes. “Are you a runner?” she asked. “I’m trying!” replied the mom. They soon found themselves talking for quite some time about their running experiences, until before they knew it lunchtime had come and gone.

“My name is Kathy by the way.”

“I’m Adi. Nice to meet you!”

“We should run together some time.”

“That’d be great!”

Numbers were exchanged, and an appointment was made for a morning run later that week.

As spring turned into summer, Kathy and Adi’s morning run turned into a weekly engagement. Before long they were training for races together. As the miles passed under their feet they talked about life, family and God. Kathy would express her faith in and love for a God who …
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If you are a Seventh-day Adventist student studying on a non-Adventist university campus, you have a unique opportunity. Far more than merely graduating with an expensive piece of paper in your hands, you can be used by God to impact a group of people that is often neglected, grossly underestimated, and hugely important to the cause of Christ. You are part of a missionary group of people where world missions come to you.

Here are five simple and proven–ways to be a successful missionary on your campus without adding much to your already busy schedule (BONDS–makes it easier to remember):

1. Be Involved

“In the story of the good Samaritan, Christ illustrates the nature of true religion. He shows that it consists not in systems, creeds, or rites, but in the performance of loving deeds, in bringing the greatest good to others, in genuine goodness” (Desire of Ages, 497).

Remember that a religion that is not active is not real religion. A religion that is not shared is a religion not worth taking up. A religion that does not impact life is a dead …
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Someone sent me a recent article by John Piper, Reformed Baptist preacher and best selling author, titled, Fierce Tornados and the Fingers of God . The opening sentence was as terrible to me as the tornados themselves: “Why would God reach down His hand and drag His fierce fingers across rural America killing at least 38 people with 90 tornadoes in 12 states, and leaving some small towns with scarcely a building standing, including churches?”

Do most people just assume that God is behind all natural disasters? Do you? No believer can deny God’s judgments without tossing the Bible. But do all natural disasters lead to God, like “all roads lead to Rome”? Insurance companies seem to think so—based on their famous (or infamous) insurance clause indicating they don’t cover, “acts of God.”

The Dead Don’t repent

One answer for these questions is found in Christ’s words to believers in the face of a tragedy that killed 18 persons:

“Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt …
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I live fifteen minutes from the highway to hell.

I’m talking about Interstate 5. Many of us know it simply as “I-5,” or the Pacific Highway. It runs like a vein up and down the west coast connecting Seattle and Los Angeles. That stretch yields some beautiful scenery. But it’s also a major hub for one of the most wicked evils imaginable: sex trafficking.

As a global enterprise, it’s the second largest criminal industry in the world today, and the fastest growing.

Approximately 80 percent of victims are girls and women, and up to 50 percent are minors.

The total revenue for human trafficking is estimated to be in excess of $32 billion.

Today there are 28 million slaves in the world. That’s more than any other time in history. More than the entire 400-year course of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Something deep within wants to cry out for justice. Somehow, someway.

But all this sounds like the kind of stuff that happens in India or Africa or Southeast Asia. Not fifteen minutes from my house. But the reality is …
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Several of my young adult friends have messaged me recently with comments like, “I consider myself a Creationist because I believe that God created the earth. Why does it matter if He created it in seven literal contiguous 24-hour periods, or over millions of years? Either way, He created.”

It’s a good question, and deserves a thoughtful answer.

1. The character of God

My first point has to do with the character of the God we worship. Sometime ago, someone dear to me said she thought “severe” and” stern” were characteristics of God. I said to her, “I could never worship such a God. My God, though combining the attributes of justice and mercy, is never severe and stern.” And I could have added, “is never cruel.” What kind of a god would create through means of predation over millions of years? Surely not the God who notes the falling of a sparrow!

Romans 5:12 says that death entered our world through sin. The entrance of sin into Planet Earth is described in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God …
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Rushing out of the revolving door, we made our way home to Tennessee after staying two days in our hotel to be sure Luke was well enough to travel. The next five months was a game of wait and see; waiting to see if he would meet his normal milestones, or if he would be delayed. The former proved to be the case. In February, we had an MRI done at our local hospital as a check up, and had the reading overnighted to Dr. Berenstein, Luke’s surgeon. He called us upon reviewing it, and said we should make plans for a return visit as soon as feasible, as Luke would need another surgery. We also made appointments with the neurologist and neuro-ophthalmologist in New York since we had concerns about Luke’s vision as well as some funny movements he would make from time to time.

The surgery was a success, and would be his last, praise God!, but his next two appointments were not so encouraging. The neuro-ophthalmologist told us that Luke was cortically blind, and only time would …
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We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. – Romans 8:37

Whoever you are, whatever your struggles and temptations may be, sweet victory is yours for the taking.

Right now!

All you need do is appreciate, appropriate and act upon what already belongs to you in the person of Jesus Christ. You are guaranteed success in whatever battle you may be fighting, not because you are sufficient for the battle—you are not!—but because there are massively powerful provisions at your fingertips, in Christ.

Here are three simple steps that will release you from the grip of even the most besetting sin.

1. Name the Thing

Honesty is the precursor to victory.

Before God, and in your own conscience, call your sin exactly what it is. Cease all explanations and excuses. Just get on your knees and confess that this thing is absolutely opposed to God’s character, that it is hurting others and destroying you. Verbalizing the truth of the matter is vitally necessary. Doing so awakens a deeper sensitivity and places your heart in an honest position before God …
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The great Hellen Keller is noted as having said, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” A little over two years ago my wife and I had a most unexpected door slam shut just as we were walking through it. It smashed us in the face, knocking us to the ground. Then it came off its hinges, fell on top of us, sprouted arms, and began to poke us in the eyes.

At least that’s how I remember it.

It was hard for us to take our eyes off this heavy door since it was flattening our noses with its closeness. However, rather divinely, we realized almost immediately that if we did not get out from underneath this evil door, it would quickly crush us out. God intervened upon hearing our cries for deliverance. He picked us up, dusted us off, and gave us a shove in the direction of the doors opening all around us.

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. – 1 Corinthians 9:25, NIV

In their excellent book, The Power of Full Engagement, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz suggest that, “Managing energy, not time, is the key to high performance.” We all have the same amount of time each day, but all of us do not bring the same amount and quality of energy to that time. Some people get more and better work done than others because they are alive with physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energy that allows them to give focused and sustained attention to their goals, while others simply trudge through their days lacking usable energy. The goal should be to maintain habits that yield maximum energy rather than frantically trying to get as much as possible done with an eye on the clock.

There are four extremely effective habits we should form in order to maintain high energy.

1. Good Eating