Arden Adventist
Many of us started the new year with dreams of making some radical changes in our lives. Maybe you made a few resolutions—a better devotional life, lose some pounds, exercise more, reduce your screen time.
How’s that going? If you are struggling to see lasting change, you’re not alone. Studies show that gym memberships increase twelve percent on average every January. Some gyms see a thirty percent increase. But, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sports Club Association, fifty percent of all new health club members quit within the first six months. If you find change to be hard, you are not alone.
Change on the outside is challenging; changing the heart can be even harder. The Bible is all about the grace of change. It’s a story of new beginnings and fresh starts, holding before us the hope that we can change, acting and speaking in new and better ways. Although the Bible clearly presents that change as a process and not an event, it calls us to do all we can to participate in God’s work of change.
So, here’s the question to ask yourself today: “What can I do to participate in God’s agenda of change for my life?” Pastor and counselor Paul Tripp tackles that question, laying out ten steps that will move you in the direction of personal change.
1. Don’t give way to regret. We tend to focus on our failures. We remember and meditate on a long list of mistakes. We can learn a lot about change from where we’ve failed in the past, but don’t get stuck there. God knows that growth is a process with steps forward and backward. God never walks away from you because you failed. Remember: God not only forgives you for your mistakes, He empowers you to not make them again.
2. Embrace Gospel hope. You have been offered grace that is more powerful than all your sins combined. The power of sin over you was crushed at the cross and you no longer live under its bondage. Your Lord is with you, working to free you from sin’s addiction, to change you into His image.
3. Examine your fruit. What kind of fruit does your lifestyle produce? What have your decisions harvested this past week? Good fruit manifests itself as encouragement, hope, love. forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. Contrarily, bad fruit appears as discouragement, division, condemnation, bitterness, and foolishness. Self-examine your fruit harvest honestly, it tells you a lot about where you need to change.
4. Expose your roots. It’s not enough to examine your fruit harvest—expose your roots. Humbly admit that your bad fruit is connected to bad thoughts, attitudes, desires, and motivations that flow from our heart. Don’t settle for superficial behavioral modification; go after the source of the problem—your heart.
5. Seek forgiveness. Only when we humbly ask for forgiveness can we quit excusing, quit rationalizing, and quit justifying ourselves. When you do that, you’ve provided self-atonement. Therefore, you don’t seek the forgiveness of God and others, you abort His work in your life.
When was the last time you self-atoned by saying:
“I wasn’t angry, I was just trying to emphasize my point.”
“She has the unique ability to drive me crazy.”
“I wasn’t feeling well, so I wasn’t myself when I spoke.”
“I was just having one of those days.”
When it comes to atonement, Jesus doesn’t need your help. Jesus provided all the atonement you need at the Cross. Stop trying to provide it yourself.
6. Change the rules. Lasting change is the result of a commitment to a new and better way. Ask yourself:
“What old patterns is God calling me to replace?”
“What will the new way look like?”
“Where are the places I’ll will be tempted to go back to the old way?”
“Where will change be hard, and demand perseverance?”
“Who are the people in my life that I can invite to hold me accountable?”
7. Look for real opportunities. Most real change starts with a change of perspective. Instead of looking at difficult and tough moments as obstacles to change, see them as God-given opportunities to experience God’s grace, to step out in a better direction. This isn’t easy, but God’s grace to do so is infinite.
8. Choose your words and actions. Determine to be intentional, rather than reactive. Determine to think before you speak, pray before you think. Change is all about choosing your words and actions wisely. God will give you the grace to choose.
9. Confess your weakness. Our problem is not that we’re weak; God delights in meeting us in our weakness with His powerful grace. We don’t change because we have delusions of personal strength and holiness.
10. Don’t give the devil an opportunity. Locate where you’re most susceptible to temptation. The devil’s tricks can be predictable because he knows where we’re prone to fall apart. He uses temptations on you that he knows will work. So, learn to watch for his tricks. Prepare yourself ahead of time for them.
We are two months into the new year and we all want to make changes. How’s it going so far? If it isn’t going as well as you hoped, don’t be discouraged.
There are steps of change. In every step, God will make Himself and His grace known to you. God will not call you to do something without giving you the wherewithal to do it. There really is a way to get from where you are to where God has made it possible for you to be. Change is possible, so don’t cancel that gym membership just yet
Presented by Ron Couzet, ThD—April 12-13, 2024 Arden Seventh-day Adventist Church 35 Airport Road | Arden, North Carolina Friday evening, 7:00 pm: “In the Name of Jesus” Sabbath School, 9:30 am: “When God Hears” Worship, 11:00 am: “The Science of Prayer” Fellowship dinner after the Worship Service Sabbath Afternoon, 2:00 pm: “Prayer and Outreach” Supper, 6:00 pm: Corporate Prayer and Testimony.
Ron Clouzet is the former Dean of the School of Theology at Southern Adventist University; the former Director of NADEI; and the former professor of Christian Ministry and Pastoral Theology, at the SDA Theological Seminary, Andrews University. Currently he is Pastor of East Ridge Seventh-day Adventist Church, East Ridge, Tennessee. * * * * *
Part 2 of a continuing story by
Alicia Marie Harding
Iwillpick up the story here. One man came to the meetings drunk, and opened up to our preacher after the meeting about how many people he had murdered and his cannibalistic ways. A 17-year-old, demon possessed girl was seeking deliverance. As they prayed over her and burned her ritual clothes, she lost control of herself and was being pushed toward the fire. When the clothes were consumed, she was delivered and started studying the Bible with one of the meeting team members.
The night after our preachers shared about what the Bible says about witchcraft and sorcery, was intense for everyone. The dental and medical team tried to cross the lake to do a medical outreach on the other side when they almost capsized in the high waves. When they started across the lake the weather and water was calm with a blue sky. Then all of a sudden, the waves were raging and the wind was intense. The boat engine stopped and wouldn’t start. The little team on the boat started praying, singing and worshiping. After the prayer the engine started and the boat was turned around to get back to shore. People on the hill watched to see if they would make it back alive. The boatman said there were demons in the water. “Someone was supposed to die,” said another, as others witnessed the struggle on the water below.
That same day our land cruiser broke down. We all waited as Alan and Craig fixed it on the side of the red dirt road. After a cheer of victory Craig started the engine to continue our journey when that failed, too. In the middle of nowhere, we left my husband with food and water to last until the next day to stay with the vehicle while the rest of us crowded into the two remaining cruisers and continued the journey. The plan was for one of them to return to tow Craig to the nearest town.
I might pause here and tell you that there was another family and a fourth cruiser that was supposed to join us in our caravan, but due to work obligations they made a stop along the way and would join us a day later. But the day our vehicle broke down, the medical team almost capsized on the lake, and our cruiser wrecked, their brakes failed completely just as they turned off the main road. Praise God they were able to shift to lower gears enough to slow the vehicle before knocking right through the gate of the farm they were visiting.
Craig was stranded out there, and we never made it to our destination after we wrecked. As I lay there pressing something on Winston’s head to control the bleeding, my heart sank to a whole new level when I realized my child was a trauma patient and there was no hospital to take him to. Where was I going to take my little boy, banged up Wesley and others to get help? And if I took him to the nearest local health facility what in the world could they do? Tears swell up in my eyes as I relive those thoughts again. I am all too familiar with the lack of resources in those areas of the
world, and we were two days away from help. But I hesitate to illuminate anymore on the devil’s work and wish to highlight how much God is greater than the devil is evil. There are so, so many details that weave throughout all these experiences, but let me just say, . . . but GOD.
As soon as Rebecca saw the accident, she called her husband, Beaver, who is an experienced Emergency Room healthcare provider, and was on the boat that almost capsized earlier that day. Because they rerouted, he had just finished unloading at a closer campsite, to one that would be much more accessible to transportation, when she called and asked him to meet us at the local hospital that wouldn’t even have a working x-ray machine. She had a blip of reception to make the phone call, and then didn’t have a signal the rest of the way to town. I had the same experience after calling Craig. Other locals who heard our story said, “You can’t get a phone signal in that area.” But you know… GOD. He connected that call and Beaver met us at the local hospital faster than we could have dared to hope. His very qualified and skilled care was a huge comfort in that very rudimentary facility until we could get out.
Stranded hours away from us, Craig was on his phone immediately making calls to find anyone with a private plane, or a medical evacuation flight, to take us to Lusaka, the capitol city, with the most equipped emergency facilities. No one was available until the next day. But then… GOD.
Without any personal connections of our own, He provided a military flight out in the middle of the night, and we arrived two hours and forty-five minutes later. Other people said later that that was impossible. The Air Force never does evacuations, medical or otherwise. But this was off the books. Not even recorded. All the policies and procedures for such a flight had been bypassed, and for all intents and purposes this flight did not exist. Continued next month
The key to making healthy choices is deciding to make a choice. It’s the first step toward improving your life. The usual reason that New Year’s resolutions are unsuccessful is no choice was made to make a beginning.
The first step in making a new beginning is to make a choice to do so.
Making a choice gives us permission to take control of a situation which we know is less than optimal. Whether the choice is how to get family members to help clean the house, or how to work an exercise program into an already busy schedule, the first step is deciding to choose to do so.
To demonstrate the struggle to make a decision—and how we can decide to do so—let’s listen in on a conversation that is taking place in Anytown, USA. We’ll slip into a booth in a small delicatessen on Main Street as we overhear two friends out to lunch together who are looking at the menu.
“Mavis, what are you going to order?” June sat drumming her fingers on the table.
“Oh, June,” Mavis shook her head at the menu. “I don’t know what to do. You know how I’m struggling with my weight.” She folded the menu in resignation and tossed it on the table. “I guess I’ll just not eat anything.”
“No, wait. I know what I’ll . . . Oh, June, what’s the use? You know how I have tried every New Year’s to lose weight and every year I always fail.” The tears started to fall.
“Mavis, honey.” June reached across the table and patted her on the arm. “Just choose something.”
“But I don’t have any choices,” she cried softly. “Everything is fattening or tastes like cardboard or is expensive. I don’t have any choices.”
“Hmmm.” June retrieved her arm and folded her hands in front of her. “Do you remember what Alexis said last week— about doing the housework?”
“Yes.” Sniffle, sniffle.
“She told us that she had to do the house cleaning in the
evening because she didn’t have any other choice. She said that Harold goes to work early and comes home late and the kids are at school all day and frequently in after school activities. And it just fell to her to get the house work done when she got home.”
“Yes?”
June looked directly across the table at her friend. “And what did you tell her?”
“Ummm. I said that, uh, she could choose to share the housework on weekends with the others in the family (sniffle) because they live there, too.” Mavis pulled out a hankie and blew her nose.
“Did she have a choice?”
“Yes . . . but she couldn’t, uh, see it.” Mavis sat up a little straighter, dabbing at her eyes.
“You’ve read all the magazine articles,” June bored in. “What do you need to do to lose weight? What are the choices?”
“Well . . . ,” Mavis searched her memory. “I can eat more salads. I can substitute fruit for other foods. I can use a smaller plate. I can avoid snack foods. I can . . .”
“Whoa, whoa.” June held up her hand. “Pick just one, girl. You’re trying to choose too many options at once and they’re overwhelming you.” June shook her head. “Pick just one and do it this week. Then next week, make another choice and add it to the first one. Go slow.”
“Do you think I can?”
“Did Alexis get her family to help with the housework?”
“Uh . . . yes. Yes, she did.” Mavis pondered a moment. “Okay, hand me that menu.”
And with that little discussion with her friend, June, Mavis decided to choose one thing to do, and began a journey that will help her take control of her health, and her weight, and her life trajectory.
The ability to choose is built into us as humans by God. This abilit—and the recognition that we do have choices— is the essence of freedom. This freedom allows us to take control of our lives, one choice at a time.
Mavis’ next step will be to make a plan. One week at a time, making one choice at a time to change something for that week, Mavis will find that creating a healthy life style is not so hard after all. But it all begins—for Mavis and for each of us—with learning that we do have choices.
Take control of your life. Recognize that you can choose and make the choice to do something good for yourself— and your health.
Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from violation of the laws of health. In case of sickness, the cause should be ascertained. Unhealthful conditions should be changed, wrong habits corrected. Then nature is to be assisted in her effort to expel impurities and reestablish right conditions in the system. —The Ministry of Healing, page 73.
Editor’s Note: The sole purpose of any health information provided by Grace Notes is for information only and is not intended to recommend or assist in self care, or to be a substitute for diagnosis and/or treatment by your personal physician. Please see Disclaimer on page 11.
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Artemisia was the queen of the city-state Halicarnassus and islands of Kos, Nisyros, and Kalymnos within the Persian satrapy of Caria. Loyal to Khshayarsha (“Shah-yar-shah” or Xerxes), who held her advice in great esteem. Artemisia was one of the fleet commanders and supplier of five ships in the naval battle of Salamis. In the council beforehand, Artemisia was part of a small minority who advised Khshayarsha against engagement in that battle. However, she went on to act in the battle with great courage and valor, even though it ended disastrously, with our Persian fleet shaken and scattered. Artemisia’s advice had proven sound, so now Khshayarsha listened to her more intently. (Do you discern a pattern, O Reader, of Khshayarsha—may his days be long—listening to certain male advisors, only to discover a queen who had a better understanding of events as they unfolded?)
With the battle of Salamis, the hope of a quick Greek surrender and conclusion of the military campaign before winter was also lost. Should Khshayarsha stay in Greece and prosecute the war in the coming seasons or should he take a portion of the army back to Persia, leaving his general Mardonius (also his cousin and brother-in-law) to hold the many territories taken and finish the fight for the Peloponnesus? The emperor posed this question to Artemisia.
She replied: “I think that you should retire and leave Mardonius behind. . . . If he succeeds, the honor will be yours because your servants performed it. If on the other hand, he fails, it would be no great matter, as you would be safe . . . [and] the Greeks will still have to pass through many difficulties. . . . In addition, if Mardonius were to suffer a disaster who would care? He is only your servant and the Greeks will have but a poor triumph. As for yourself, you will be going home with the object for your campaign accomplished, for you have burnt Athens.” (1)
Indeed, Khshayarsha felt that the defeat which his father, Great Darius, suffered a decade earlier upon the plain of Marathon was now more than avenged. Additionally, this campaign had already brought large portions of Thrace, Macedon, Thessaly, and Attica more or less under the control of the Persian army. Except for Salamis, it could be considered a victory, and if Mardonius could bring the Peloponnesus to heel, it would be only greater.
Yes, it was time to heed Artemisia’s counsel and return home, back to Asia and the East. Khshayarsha wished for the comforts of Persepolis, Ecbatana, and Shushen, and reports of revived unrest in the province of Babylon demanded his attention. With an eye to keeping his communications, supply, and retreat lines safe, Khshayarsha led a sizable portion of the army back across the Hellespont toward the various satrapies from which they had been mustered. Mardonius remained, with what was still a fairly massive force, and the goal of breaking what remained of the Greek alliance, completing the campaign, and consolidating all of the gains in the Greek mainland.
Alas, O Reader, the following year would bring news that Mardonius, despite his successes, fell in action against the Spartans in a battle at Plataea. His death and the loss of his strong leadership caused our Persian forces to retreat northward to the region of Thessaly where fighting between Greeks and Persians would continue for years to come. To compound our losses, the bulk of our remaining navy in the Aegean Sea was captured and burned off Mycale in Ionia, where so much of this trouble had begun, many years before. While Khshayarsha had accomplished his original aims in Greece, these events were still a disappointment and were surely on his mind, occurring as they did during the next portion of our tale.
The people of Shushen (Susa) greeted Khshayarsha with great acclaim upon his return. Once again in these familiar surroundings,
Khshayarsha recalled the great banquet, the days of diplomacy as he formed his army, and the unfortunate circumstances leading to the ouster of his consort Vashti from the regular royal harem. The decree had said that her queenly position should be filled by another, a matter that had been set aside by the all-consuming Greek invasion. But now that Khshayarsha was home, the search for Vashti’s replacement could finally begin.
FOOTNOTE: (1) From Herodotus’ “Histories” Book 8: Urania, 102.
Notes:—* The idea of a personal narrator here is fiction, but all the other events and individuals are mentioned in the Bible and/or in other historical records.
** Not the Darius of Daniel 5-6 who ruled over the province of Babylon for Cyrus beginning in 539 BC, but rather Darius the Great who ruled the Achaemenid Empire from 486-465 BC.
*** Some of the detailed information is from Encyclopaedia Iranica article on Susa in the Achaemenid period.
Chris Small is an Adjunct History and Religion faculty member at Fletcher Academy, and manages Abe’s America LLC. He writes from his home in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
As 2023 came to a close, twenty-four individuals found themselves tired, hot and sweaty, but at the same time entirely contented. The Arden Seventh-day Adventst Church, in partnership with Maranatha International, sponsored a mission trip to the Dominican Republic (DR) on December 26, 2023, to January 5, 2024. God mightily blessed and many miracles were encountered! Our objective: to build a church for a local congregation that had been praying over a decade for a larger and more permanent house of worship. Previously, they had been worshiping in a canopy tent as they did not have the resources to construct a church building. The translated name of this church is Celestial Refuge Seventh-day Adventist Church.
a jacket pocket. Several of us were the last to board the plane and unfortunately two of our group made it to the gate minutes after the gate doors closed and had to be left behind. Thankfully, they were able to rendezvous with the rest of us two days later.
The first impressions of the DR were the simple way people lived: lots of streetside vendors, and traffic that seemingly weaved in and out like swarms of bees in a hive, consistently disregarding rational traffic etiquette. We were blessed to stay in a spacious building with on-site cooks who made delicious Dominican food to satisfy our hunger and fuel our energy at the job site.
At 4:30 am we departed the Arden church parking lot destined for an adventure. Our journey was met with stiff resistance from the devil from the outset.
One of our participants almost got left behind as her alarm clock didn’t go off. Thankfully after pounding on her door to wake her up, we were all able to continue our journey driving to the Atlanta airport through pouring rain. At the airport, the TSA lines were incredibly long the day after Christmas, causing us all stress and worry that we may miss our flight.
During TSA screening, a passport was lost then found in
Our first day on the building site we were met with some relief when a large tarp was placed over the steel frame rafters. This provided much appreciated shade from the otherwise sweltering 80-degree weather and 90% humidity. We were blessed because many in our group were seasoned builders and block masons, providing skill and guidance to the novices in the group. As a group, we hauled 55,000 pounds of block, mixed and wheelbarrowed 23,000 pounds of concrete and mortar, laid block, built scaffolding, sifted sand, shoveled gravel, tied and cut 600 pounds of rebar, and sledge-hammered broken blocks into small pieces to fill the inside of the walls. Everyone worked extremely hard and put their hearts and souls into building this church. The local congregation was thrilled to see their prayed-for church take form.
The team also hosted a Vacation Bible School and children’s program on Friday afternoon. Originally, we had planned to have this in a local school cafeteria, but that had to be canceled due to staffing issues of school personnel over
the holiday. This was held next to the church in a parking area where a large tarp was erected to protect all the kids from the hot sun. Over 150 energetic kids attended! We sang songs, told Bible stories, did Bible skits, played games, and made new friends with the kids. Our young people immensely enjoyed helping out with the kids’ program. We also had many stations of crafts for the children to be creative by applying the Bible stories that were told. The children thoroughly enjoyed the program! For the local church, we were able to leave the complete bilingual material for them to continue this VBS series well after we returned to the States.
we weren’t sure if he had broken his neck or not as he was not moving his legs. He had a seizure and was in a lot of pain. We gently put him on a wooden backboard that we were using to frame our windows in the church and carefully moved him from under the scaffolding. We were told that it would take at least an hour for an ambulance to arrive, so we quickly decided to load him in the bus and take him to the closest emergency room.
Sabbath was a highlight for the group. We were able to worship in the very church that we were building! We led out in the service by teaching Sabbath School, telling a children’s story, singing special music, and preaching the sermon. It was an incredible blessing to worship in the very building that this congregation will be a shining light to the whole community, until Jesus returns . On Sabbath afternoon we joined the local Pathfinder and Adventurer clubs to perform a community outreach by handing out books in the streets surrounding the church. The neighborhood people were very receptive, and we handed out over 100 books! We were all dressed in our uniforms. The Arden Aviator Pathfinder Club also donated several tents for the local Pathfinder club to use on future camporees, as that was an item they specifically requested us to donate, if possible.
During this trip the devil worked hard to obstruct progress and travel. Beside the two people in our group missing their flight, we also dealt with a sickness that went through the group, and multiple sleepless nights due to the loud music that was being played for a week prior to New Years Eve.
One of our Haitian workers hired by Maranatha fell through the scaffolding from a height of six feet injuring his neck and abdomen. We had multiple trained medical personnel on our trip and were able to take excellent care of him. Initially,
With Josh Belanger hanging out of the bus door to supporting his legs and Nate McKinney and Dan Reynolds supporting his neck, we swerved past pedestrians and jostled through potholes to the ER with our bus driver doubling as an ambulance driver. Upon arriving at the ER, the hospital personnel took over his care and, thankfully, after imaging and consultation with a surgeon, he was released from the hospital on home bed rest for a week. He is now back working on construction. Our prayers were answered for him!
Gratefully no one else from our team or those working with us were injured during our time in the DR. Despite some setbacks and challenges, God mightily blessed by helping us complete what we had set out to do. In fact, the Maranatha leadership was extremely impressed that a group our size got as much done as we did in the six and a half days we had to do the work. As the great controversy was displayed in front among us, we were reminded that God always wins in the end.
The tangible result of building a church was a huge blessing, but even more so was the camaraderie that developed, and the lives that were changed, as a result of being Jesus’ hands and feet on this amazing mission trip.
Catherin Merchant had a dream that one day she could go on a mission trip, and her dream became a reality in December 2023. The following is an account of her experiences as told to Jean Davey.
Catherin had prayed about going on a mission trip since 2010. It was then that she heard about Maranatha while listening to 3ABN for the first time, coming through her aluminum-foiled rabbit ears television , which was itself a miracle story. While she listened, she learned what they did, the speaker saying they did mission trips involving building churches. That sparked her interest immediately!
“Praying wasn’t something I did much of, and God and Jesus were not part of my everyday life. Thoughts were popping into my brain, and I felt that this 10.5would be a wonderful opportunity to serve God and my fellow man. This was new thinking for me,” declared Catherin. She didn’t realize at that point in her life that God was interested in her daily life, but something kept telling her to pray about God sending her on a mission trip. She said she eventually stopped praying because at that point, she didn’t even know if God was hearing her prayers. So, it faded in her mind and life went on.
God was guiding her completely as He led her to start reading the Bible, to move to Western North Carolina, and eventually to join the Arden Adventist church by baptism in 2021. She said she has never been happier in her new life.
When she heard about the Arden church mission trip planned for December, 2023, she said she came up with many excuses why she wouldn’t be able to go. Her finances, not wanting to miss work, and fear of leaving the country were part of that list. She admitted, she didn’t know how mission trips even worked. She was given positive input and help getting started with the thought of going. She just couldn’t believe that her very own church was doing a mission trip with Maranatha.
She had mixed emotions. She didn’t personally know anyone who was going except those she saw on Sabbath. But she also felt so blessed to be a part of this trip with her very own sisters and brothers in Christ, all from the Arden church. She knew then “that God did hear me and answered my prayers.”
Once the mission crew arrived in the Dominican Republic, she was ready to do anything she was asked to do. Her duties were to sift sand to make concrete, haul blocks, push wheelbarrows to the concrete mixer, make sure those laying block had “mud” and water at all times, patch inside block walls, and fill completed block walls with concrete and rocks. She
also helped Carissa Belanger with the vacation bible school.
“We all did whatever was needed to continue the good work. We were hot, sweaty, filthy and exhausted. I never was so happy and filled with joy and accomplishment at the end of a day’s hard work. I was so thankful for the family I was working with. I kept thanking God for bringing us all together to the Dominican Republic to serve God and the local church members,”
Catherin happily declared.
They did have some challenges while there including power outages and water pressure issues. Catherin said getting used to brushing her teeth without using water from the sink was difficult, clean running water being something she took for granted in the United States. Also, there were bars on the windows and locked big metal doors which was a bit scary for her. She also got sick for a day and couldn’t taste the food that three lovely women cooked for them. The noise and music that went on through the night caused sleepless nights. She prayed for God to get her up out of bed and give her the strength to work all day long. Another prayer answered.
Her favorite part of the mission trip was bonding with her church family, morning and evening worship, spending Sabbath morning in the church that they were honored to build with the local church members who prayed for ten years, and hugging the church women who came often to see their progress.
Catherin said “Here I was, filthy and sweaty, and they were so pretty and clean in their dresses. They came with open arms and gave me the biggest hugs.”
Ending her wonderful story, Catherin says, “My heart has been changed forever. My desire is to do all I can for our Lord in furthering our mission to spread His word, and to help make it possible for God’s people to have a house of worship. I am praying that God allows me to be able to participate in many more mission trips. I now know for sure He hears and answers our prayers in His timing. My advice to those who haven’t gone on a mission trip is to pray about these opportunities and step out in faith to serve our Lord and Savior.filthy and exhausted. I never was so happy and filled with joy and accomplishment at the end of a day’s hard work. I was so thankful for the family I was working with. I kept thanking God for bringing us all together to the Dominican Republic to serve God and the local church members,” Catherin happily declared.
They did have some challenges while there including power outages and water pressure issues. Catherin said getting used to brushing her teeth without using water from the sink was difficult, clean running water being something she took for granted in the United States. Also, there were bars on the windows and locked big metal doors which was a bit scary for her. She also got sick for a day and couldn’t taste the food that three lovely women cooked for them. The noise and music that went on through the night caused sleepless nights. She prayed for God to get her up out of bed and give her the strength to work all day long. Another prayer answered.
Her favorite part of the mission trip was bonding with her
Ina unanimous decision issued on June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme Court discarded a decades-long precedent by strengthening legal protection for workers whose religious beliefs conflict with their job obligations.
The case centered on Gerald Groff, a devout Christian whose faith prompted him to keep a 24-hour Sabbath on Sunday. Groff worked for the United States Postal Service (USPS) but faced ongoing difficulties obtaining religious accommodation from his employer. The USPS denied Groff’s requests, citing previous legal precedence that required employers to suffer only minimal hardship for them to deny such accommodation. The Court’s opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, specifically addressed this “de minumus standard” and insisted on a much more substantial reading of “undue hardship.” Alito wrote: “ We think it is enough to say that an employer must show that the burden of granting an accommodation would result in substantially increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business.” The legal team representing Groff included Adventist attorney Alan Reinach, director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) for the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (SDA), who said: “This [old “de minumus”] standard led to the termination of employment for thousands of Americans of all faiths. Seventh-day Adventists were especially harmed in that hourly wage earners are frequently assigned shift schedules including Sabbath hours.” This ruling is expected to have far-reaching implications for workers across the country of all faiths with sincerely held religious beliefs who have faced challenges due to their Friday, Sabbath, or Sunday observances.
have world-wide influence and impact. The president of IRLA is nonSDA. The majority of the Panel of Experts (on religious liberty issues) of the IRLA is non-SDA. But the majority of the Board of Directors are SDA.
The Director of the GC PARL (Dr. Ganoune Diop) is the secretary-general of IRLA and the people working in the GC PARL do the office organizational work required to achieve the goals that the IRLA have adopted.
The GC PARL organizes the yearly, 3-day World Congress of the IRLA where religious liberty leaders, scholars, and advocates from around the world discuss “a wholistic understanding of freedom of religion or belief as a pivotal human right.”
Second, the GC PARL Associate Director, Dr. Nelu Burcea, is church’s liaison to the United Nations through his office in New York City and to the UN Human Rights Council through his office in Geneva, Switzerland. He is the church’s representative within the international community of civic and political leaders, representing the SDA Church’s views.
Third, PARL maintains the Adventist Office of Legislative Affairs, directed by Dewayne Leslie, JD to watch over the political, legal, and executive developments in US public policy. This office organizes the annual Religious Liberty dinner in Washington, DC which attracts politicians of the White House and Congress, bureaucrats, NGOs, and Washington’s diplomatic community to discuss the religious freedom issues in the US and internationally.
This most recent successful representation of another religious liberty client began as a realization in 1889 that the SDA Church needed to focus on religious liberty issues. Following the near passage of a national Sunday Law beginning in 1888 (successfully argued against by A.T. Jones in the US Senate), the members in General Conference Session chartered a new association to promote and defend religious freedom – the National Religious Liberty Association. This idea was well received outside North America and in 1893 the association became the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA), registering 11 countries around the world as members by 1906.
In 1901 the General Conference of SDA (GC) established the Department of Religious Liberty, becoming the Public Relations and Religious Liberty Department (PARL) which now has branches in every division, union, and conference throughout the church organization worldwide.
Today the GC PARL operates in multiple settings “to represent the world church in meeting officials around the world and to monitor the state of religious freedom” issues.
First, the GC PARL functions as the working staff for the IRLA. The IRLA is an international, non-sectarian discussion group (open to all religions and belief systems), whose deliberations
Fourth, Dr. Giop, PARL Director, is secretary of the GC Council for Inter-church and Inter-faith relations and is responsible for arranging and meeting with other churches or faiths, including representation at the Conference of Secretaries of the Christian World Communions.
Fifth, the GC PARL publishes the Liberty magazine which is sent to every thought leader in the United States: national, state, and local officials, judges, and religious liberty advocates. PARL also publishes yearly the World Report, a “snapshot” of the religious freedom environment – constitutional, legal, and social – of every UN-recognized country and territory.
Sixth, the Associate Director of PARL, Dr. Bill Knott, is tasked with personally interfacing with the US Congress, the White House, and the international diplomatic corps.
And seventh, the legal offices of the union and conference offices of the PARL are deeply involved in the representation of various religious clients whose desires to observe their religious beliefs are compromised by their employment.
The Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department is fully engaged daily, nationally and internationally for our church. Support these Religious Liberty efforts by donating to the Religious Liberty campaign (Jan. – Mar), specifying on your local tithe envelope or on-line at the Adventist Giving website.
by Max Hammonds
Albert Broot visited his son’s home in Michigan several times a year, sometimes only a few days, sometimes a week or more. Everyone knew the real reason for his frequent visits—his 13-year-old grandson, Mark.
At 6:00 am, Pawpaw Albert lit the gas log insert in the large, stone fireplace and sat in the big armchair close by, enjoying the warmth. He spread his Bible on his crossed left knee, his mouth forming silent words as he read.
“Pawpaw, why do you read your Bible every morning?” Mark had slipped downstairs unusually early, knowing whom he would find there.
Pawpaw looked up with a slow smile. “Do you remember Psalms 119:105?”
“Of course. ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.’ I learned it when I was much younger.”
Pawpaw’s smile spread wider at Mark’s reference to his own age, then nodded. “That’s why,” he said, looking down at his Bible, pretending to read.
called them ‘cleverly devised tales.’ After all, who really wrote the Bible?”
Mark was quick with the answer. “We learned in Bible class that approximately forty men wrote the 66 books of the Bible, including Nebuchadnezzar!” He was pleased with himself.
“Forty men wrote these books over 1500 years and managed to write a comprehensive story that repeats the same message without deviation?” Pawpaw sounded genuinely shocked. “Couldn’t have known one another. Could hardly have been collusion.” Pawpaw raised his bushy eyebrows in surprise. “How do you suppose that happened?”
“But you must have read it—what?—five or six times. What more is there to know?” Mark sat in the opposing stuffed chair, a signal that he really wanted to know.
“Hmmm.” Pawpaw stroked his moustache, then twisted his head to look at Mark. “What’s in the Bible that you find interesting?”
Mark scooted forward to the edge his chair. “Stories! Stories about people like David and Paul—and Jesus,—of course. Stories about how God directed their lives and worked through them to help His people.”
Pawpaw drew his eyebrows together. “Really? Did it always work out that way?”
“Well . . . no.” Mark tilted his head to the side. “Not always. Paul mostly, yes, but David, and Peter; not so much when they didn’t follow God’s directions.”
“You mean His commandments? You mean there are other commandments besides just the ten we find in Exodus 20?”
“Oh, yes. God gave all kinds of directions and commandments,” Mark emphasized.
“And what was the purpose of recording all these directives in the Bible—especially the ones given to individuals and whole nations—three thousand years ago?”
Mark sat quietly, thinking about this surprise question from Pawpaw.
Albert flipped to 1 Corinthians 10:11 and began to read, “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” He looked at Mark again. “That’s why I read my Bible.”
“But let’s be sure,” Pawpaw said, “that we aren’t following just anybody’s stories. Jesus was very clear that we shouldn’t follow human wisdom. Paul called them ‘foolishness.’ Peter
“I know this one, Pawpaw.” Mark extended his hand. “Can I read it in your Bible?” Pawpaw handed the worn Bible to his beloved grandson and Mark quickly found his answer. “This is 2 Peter 1:21. ‘For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.’ ”
“That’s why I read my Bible, Mark.” Pawpaw said with seriousness. “It is the Word of God, written by men in their own language, trying their best to be clear and accurate, all while being inspired—taught and guided—by the Holy Spirit. The information between those covers in your hand is critical, it is sacred.
“But what’s it really about, Mark? Why did God give us that book?”
Mark gazed at his grandfather, then down at the tattered, love-worn pages in his lap. “I think it’s like the book my dad got with his new car. The Bible is God’s instruction book about how best to live our lives. If we don’t follow the instructions in the book, our bodies, and our lives don’t work so good.”
“Good illustration, Mark. Our instruction book.” It was Grandfather Albert’s turn to lean forward in earnestness. “Now take it one step further. Read to me Luke 24:27.”
Mark deftly thumbed to Luke and read aloud, “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”
“Jesus is the point. All the Scriptures tell me about Jesus. That’s why I read it, and study it. It’s about my friend, Jesus.” Pawpaw leaned back into his overstuffed chair and closed his eyes.
Mark closed Pawpaw’s Bible. He placed it on the lamp stand and quietly slipped out of the room.
Arden Adventist
Our Family Focus this month features Molly Corbitt. Molly joined the Arden Seventh-day Adventist Church in October 2023, along with her mother Pegg Gardner and her sister Kellie May.
Our family focus this month features Molly Corbitt. Molly joined the Arden Seventh-day Adventist Church in October 2023, along with her mother Pegg Gardner and her sister Kellie May.
Molly was born and raised in Parkersburg, West Virginia. She attended and graduated from Sumner School which is a special education school from first grade through high school. Molly has four siblings, Beth, Michael, Sherry and Kellie. Her brother Jim passed away at the age of 46. Molly never married but had some special male friends in high school who wanted to marry her, but she chose not to.
Molly worked for a grooming shop that her mother owned and really enjoyed grooming cats and dogs. She has also volunteered for the Humane Society washing dogs and cats and other duties as needed. When neighbors go out of town, she helps them with picking up their mail and also feeding and taking care of their animals which sure is a blessing for those neighbors! She also works hard around the home in which she lives with her mother and sister and does the housekeeping, and takes care of their three dogs and one cat.
She has lived in Parkersburg, West Virginia; Colorado, Nebraska, and Moab, Utah. She and her mother Pegg and sister Kellie moved to the Western North Carolina area in May 2023 to be closer to family.
Molly’s hobbies include doing jigsaw puzzles, walking the family dogs daily, and enjoys word-find puzzles. She also likes riding bicycles and has always enjoyed swimming. Molly even won a gold medal in Special Olympics swimming competitions when she was younger. She has done some traveling in the United States but doesn’t really enjoy traveling that much.
She learned about Jesus and the Bible while attending church with her mother and sister. She decided she wanted to be baptized while living in Utah, and was baptized at the Moab Seventh-day Adventist church in 2007.
She began attending the Arden Seventh-day Adventist church with her family and enjoys the Sabbath School led by DeWayne Butcher. She has particularly enjoyed the lessons of the Book of Psalms and Revelation.
We are so happy to have Molly Corbitt as part of the Arden church family!
Jean Davey is retired from the University of South Carolina, where she worked as a computer programmer in the Payroll, Budget and Human Resources Departments. Jean writes from her home in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
Continued from page 8 church family, morning and evening worship, spending Sabbath morning in the church that they were honored to build with the local church members who prayed for ten years, and hugging the church women who came often to see their progress.
Catherin said “Here I was, filthy and sweaty, and they were so pretty and clean in their dresses. They came with open arms and gave me the biggest hugs.”
Ending her wonderful story, Catherin
says, “My heart has been changed forever. My desire is to do all I can for our Lord in furthering our mission to spread His word, and to help make it possible for God’s people to have a house of worship. I am praying that God allows me to be able to participate in many more mission trips. I now know for sure He hears and answers our prayers in His timing. My advice to those who haven’t gone on a mission trip is to pray about these opportunities and step out in faith to serve our Lord and Savior.”
Arden Seventh-Day Adventist Church Is a Safe Place to Grow.
Our Purpose is, by God’s Grace, to reflect His character in our community, to demonstrate a quality of life that will attract all to be reconciled to Jesus Christ, and to encourage people to become His loving, maturing disciples.
Grace Notes Editorial Staff:
Gailon Morisette Editor & Graphic Design
Max Hammonds Assistant Editor
Ann Marie Bates
Chris Small
Jean Davey.
Max Hammonds .
Pen Braister-Sturgis
. Columnist
Columnist
Columnist
Reporter & Columnist
Reporter
Jim & Carolyn Sullenberger . . . . Proofreaders
Comments, suggestions and praises are always welcome. Please email or contact the church office.
Sabbath services each Saturday morning: Sabbath School Bible Study, 9:30 a.m. Worship Service, 10:45 a.m.
Location: 35 Airport Road, Arden, NC 28704
Located on Highway 280, (Airport Road), 1.5 miles east of I-26 exit 40, and a quarter mile west of Highway 25.
Church Office:
Office Manager: Whitney Barron Telephone: (828) 684-6700
Email: office@ardenadventist.org
Website: www.ardenadventist.com
Office Hours: Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Arden Adventist Pastoral Staff:
Senior Pastor: Eric Bates, D. Min. Email: ebates@carolinasda.org
Associate/Youth Pastor: Rich Maskelony, M .Div. Email: rmaskelony@carolinasda.org
Grace Notes is published monthly by the Arden Seventh-day Adventist Church. Subscription is free by calling or emailing the church office. Do you have questions about what Adventists believe? Would you like to become a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church? If you would like to study the Bible, you are invited to attend a Pastor’s Bible Study Class. Please call for location and time. All are always welcome.
†Disclaimer—The contents of Grace Notes, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained in this magazine of the Arden Seventh-day Adventist Church are for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider, who is knowledgeable and experienced in the use of specific medical or Lifestyle Medicine interventions, or about questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice, or delay in seeking it, because of information published in this magazine. Neither Grace Notes nor the Arden Seventh-day Adventist Church recommend or endorse any specific tests, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned in published articles. Reliance on any information provided is solely at your own risk. If you may have a medical emergency, call your healthcare provider or 911 immediately.
Arden Seventh-day Adventist Church 35 Airport Road Arden, North Carolina 28704 (828) 684-6700
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