FLAME | Winter 2015

Winter 2015

Igniting a Passion for Living and Serving in Texas

Communication

STAYING

CONNECTED PAGE 7

Workoutsfor Him & Her PAGE 10

Heartfelt

Gifts

PAGE 14

POWER

of

Prayer

{Editor's Note} THIS IS THE 34TH PUBLISHED ISSUE OF THE FLAME. I am honored to have been here for 33 of those issues. Looking back at the last ten years, you can see how this magazine has transformed over time. When the FLAME began, the Texas Conference had just over 36,000 members. Today we have more than 54,000. The Church in Texas continues growing and with the dawn of social media interaction we are no longer as distant as we once were. It is a lot easier today to connect someone in Tyler to family or a church in McAllen. Likewise, Houston and Dallas are just a few clicks away. Nevertheless, I believe the FLAME still connects Adventist in Texas, its initial purpose. The stories that we tell and experiences we share are as important today as they were ten years ago.

The magazine not only connects members in our Conference, but has also taken steps beyond that goal. The FLAME is produced with the purpose of being shared with your family and friends. We were very intentional a few years ago in adding sections to the magazine that would be both appealing and easy to understand to non-Adventists. The stories and articles can go beyond your home, and into a friend or coworker’s life. Remember, the FLAME is available online at TexasAdventist.org/FLAME and is mobile friendly for tablets and smart phones. It may be hard to offer your friend Bible studies, but you can use the FLAME to share recipes or kids stories and allow the Holy Spirit to do the work through the rest of the magazine.

We are simply humble servants doing the Lord’s work in this great field. All honor and glory for any success and praise the FLAME has received belongs to God. He is the one that has brought together the talented individuals who have played a role in making the magazine what it is today. We offer our thanks to Him and to all those that regularly make this publication a reality.

We invite you to enjoy this issue with delicious recipes, meaningful gift ideas and a look at the Communication Department at Southwestern Adventist University and Southwestern Union. On behalf of the Texas Conference Administration and FLAME staff, happy reading and Merry Christmas!

Kristina Pascual Lockhart Editor

{Contributors}

RYAN TELLER is the Director of Public Relations for Union College, and also the FLAME’s original Editorin-chief. On page 4, he offers perspective on the magazine’s humble beginnings and how far it has come.

2 | FLAME Winter 2015

DR. GLEN ROBINSON is a Journalism and Communication Professor at Southwestern Adventist University. On page 8, he discusses how the school is training the next generation of communication professionals.

JESSICA LOZANO is the Associate Communication Director at the Southwestern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

In this issue, she shares a brief history of Union publications and their role in today’s world in the Partners section on page 9.

KATHLEEN HERNANDEZ works as a Bible and Spanish teacher, as well as recruiter, for Milo Adventist Academy in Oregon. For this issue’s feature story, she tells the harrowing journey of Pedro and Amarillis Hernandez and their dramatic escape from 1960s Cuba.

GABRIEL PEREA is the Associate Pastor for Scenic Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Teaching Pastor for Advent Project Church.

On page 21, he reviews the Bulletin Plus app and how it could forever change the way your church does bulletins.

In Every Issue 2 From the Editor

{CONTENTS}

17 Word of Mouth 17 Stewardship 22 Calendar 23 Advent Movement

4 ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

12 FEATURE

Can you believe the FLAME has been around for ten years?

See what the Texas Conference President and the first Editor-inChief of the FLAME have to say about the magazine’s evolution.

Pedro and Amarilis Hernandez had been given multiple opportunities to leave Cuba, and it seemed as if their last chance was slipping out of their hands. Read about the prayer that was answered not a moment too soon.

6 LIVING FAITH Demonstrating how giving can truly be better than receiving. page 7

7 MINISTRIES Get a behind-thescenes look at the Communication Department and how your church can be in the know.

8 EDUCATION Southwestern Adventist University’s Communication Department continues advancing with new challenges for undergrads.

9 PARTNERS

page 12

14 FAMILY MATTERS Check out some unique gift giving ideas that are not only fun, but functional and inspire giving and living with more purpose.

16 RECIPE Hot chocolate and cookies are holiday favorites, but these recipes provide delicious new tips!

20 THEOLOGY

How The Record, the Southwestern Union’s monthly magazine works with the Texas Conference and the key to sharing local church stories.

The Bible has promises for God’s children from Genesis to Revelation. However, one promise stands apart from the rest and brings us hope for all eternity.

10 FITNESS

21 KIDZ KORNER

If you want to enjoy an extra slice of pumpkin pie this Christmas dinner, you’ll want to check out these easy his and hers exercise routines to stay in shape during the holidays.

Sometimes the family pet is your first best friend.

One boy’s pup reminds him how Jesus is our best friend no matter what.

FLAME | 3 Winter 2015

Year

Connecting, Inspiring, Serving AS THE FLAME CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF PUBLICATION with this 34th issue, we share some insights from its beginnings and relevance today. Our guests, the FLAME’s creator and first editor, Ryan Teller, as well as Conference President, Carlos Craig, chime in for this special piece.

The Texas Conference and FLAME staff thank our members and readers from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of this journey with us and helping us connect, inspire and serve throughout our blessed state.

Fanning the Flame “EVERYTHING’S BIGGER IN TEXAS.” I’d heard it all my life—especially during Thanksgivings at my aunt’s house in Houston watching the annual grudge match between the Texas Longhorns and the A&M Aggies.

My mother had turned her back on her home state and married a Midwesterner, and all I knew about Texas came from those yearly visits to her homeland.

But 20 years later I listened as my friend, the late Elder Doug Kilcher, who only a year earlier had made his own pilgrimage from Nebraska to Texas, pulled out all the stops to convince me to leave the place I had called home for 15 years to come build a new communication program for the Texas Conference from the ground up. “They do everything big here,” he said in an awed tone. “They even have their own printing press! It’s right across the hall from your office.”

But what really sold me on Texas was not the big printing press, the great facilities, or the long summers and mild winters.

I quickly discovered that “everything is bigger in Texas” really refers to the hearts of her people. My own heart thrilled as my old minivan piled up miles traveling from one end of the state to other, gathering stories of Adventists allowing the spark of God’s love to work in their hearts and spread to the community around them.

I experienced it for myself in the connections I built with coworkers, lay leaders, teachers, pastors, and church members—a delightful melting pot of cultures and backgrounds that welcomed us with open arms.

And that’s really what the FLAME is all about. Although inspired by the Texas Conference logo, the name is really about using stories to connect and strengthen the hearts of Texans who have allowed the Holy Spirit to spark a change in their lives—and help fan that spark into a flame that is sweeping Texas with His love.

In the beginning, I wrote and edited stories, traveled the Conference taking photos,

recruited column authors, and scrambled to find translators to create both English and Spanish editions, while Rhonda Garner created the first logotype and design.

Ten years later, under Kristina Lockhart’s capable guidance and a great production team, the magazine has grown into something really big—a top publication across the North American Division that the people of Texas can be proud of.

In the end, the FLAME demonstrated for me another proof that “everything is bigger in Texas.” Instead of printing just another newsletter, the Conference leadership had the vision to go big and create the best magazine (and related tools) possible to unite Texans in service to a big God. Keep up the good work, Texas. Keep doing everything big. Keep fanning the flame of God’s love until it is an inferno that no power can extinguish!

- Ryan Teller

FLAME: Homegrown Journalism Excellence REMARKABLE INDEED, ten years of written documentation of God’s rich blessing upon this Conference. With excellence, substance and informative stamina, the FLAME, the Texas Conference’s award-winning periodical, has kept the constituents of this vast territory abreast of the happenings from Denton to McAllen, from Brownwood to Marshall and all points in between. Its hard to believe that ten years ago, Ryan Teller, then Communication Director for the Texas Conference, put together a plan that would grow and develop

4 | FLAME Winter 2015

into what we know today as a respected magazine across the North American Division.

A few notes of interest in regards to the FLAME. The very first issue featured public evangelism in Texas, which has been the thrust and engine of this Conference over the course of the past 40-plus years. There are only about a half a dozen Conferences around the NAD that produce magazines of their own of this nature. In the Spring of 2013, the FLAME published its first online version, becoming e-friendly for mobile devices and

tablets. Its relevance and reach have grown and flourished.

The FLAME is a vital tool in our efforts to “shrink” this Conference in the context of not only the vast geographical territory, but also the diversity of 280 churches and companies.

The FLAME literally keeps us all on the same page! It keeps us focused on our mission: the Gospel of Christ to all of Texas in our generation!

- Carlos Craig

Years

Thank you for being a part of our family through the years. We will continue to ignite a passion for living and serving in Texas as we work together to further the gospel ministry in our territory and show others the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

FLAME | 5 Winter 2015

Unlikely Holiday Gifts

By Tom Grove

WE ARE NOW FULL SWING INTO THE CHRISTMAS season that seemingly begins earlier and earlier every year. The Christmas shopping season that used to begin on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, now seems to start on Labor Day. And with the proliferation of online shopping, Christmas shopping can take place any hour of the day from the comfort of your own home. The American Research Group estimated that the average shopper spent $861 during the 2014 Christmas season. Meanwhile, the estimated total Christmas retail sales for 2014 was $619 billion—for one holiday. While it is great to give and receive gifts for Christmas, consider the following ways to give that will have a lasting effect, in addition to or even in place of our regular Christmas gift giving.

1. DONATE MONEY. There are many places that could use extra financial help during the holiday season. You could give to your local church to support a special outreach project, donate to Adventist Community Services or find something in the Adventist Disaster Relief Agency Gift Catalog that will support a community around the world at ADRA.org. I know of some families who, instead of buying gifts for each other, decided to buy Christmas gifts for a needy family in order to make their Christmas special. There are tons of ways to give a little extra money to help others this Christmas.

2. DONATE TIME. Like with monetary donations, there are numerous charities to whom you can give your time. You can volunteer at a soup kitchen that gives out a meal on Christmas, decide to donate a pint of blood to a local blood bank, or volunteer at a homeless shelter. In Arlington, we have a local mission that takes food baskets to families on Christmas morning. Last year, some friends told me that the line of people who volunteered on Christmas was out the door and around the building because so many people were willing to give up some of their Christmas to serve others.

3. DONATE TALENT. Everyone has different talents that can be given during the Christmas season. You may have the talent to build or repair things, and so you might volunteer with a Habitat for Humanity build.

You may have the talent to make wonderful food, so you might make cookies or loaves of bread to give to those who live on your street. You may have the gift of art, so you could make something creative for a friend, family member, or nursing home resident. Whatever talent God has given you, use it to give to someone else this Christmas.

The hot chocolate and Christmas carols are here to stay. The carols, office parties, and vacation time aren’t going anywhere either. Even the ugly sweaters will still be around.

6 | FLAME Winter 2015

But if we’re truly intent on being all that God calls us to be, our focus will lie on the giving more than getting. The latest gadget will be outdated before it’s unwrapped, but the chance to help someone in need is a gift that keeps on giving!

Tom Grove holds a doctorate of Ministry with an emphasis in leadership and is the Executive Pastor of the Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church.

THE COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT of the Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is responsible for producing each issue of the FLAME. On its 10th anniversary, we share with our readers a bit about our department and responsibilities. Kristina Pascual Lockhart is Assistant to the President for Communication and Jason Busch is Associate Communication Director.

We hope you enjoy this behind the scenes look at our fun department, just an Argentine girl and a Florida boy with a heart for ministry and a passion for communication.

FLAME: How did you become interested in Communication? How has it impacted your life?

JASON: My interest in journalism and communication really began as I entered my third year of college. I think what attracted me most to the field was that it offered a chance to minister in a fresh, exciting way. No two days are the same for the department and I enjoy the challenges each new day brings. Now, I can’t imagine myself doing anything differently and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work in communication.

KRISTINA: I studied communication in college because it was something I knew nothing about. I quickly fell in love and realized I’d had an underlying passion for it growing up; I narrated and hosted our home movies and interviewed friends on my karaoke machine.

The Lord led me to the Texas Conference right after college and it’s been an incredible journey seeing how God uses people and tools to spread his message of love and forgiveness.

It’s fascinating to witness stories connect and inspire people, events unite members for a cause and social media share hope and encouragement. It is an honor to serve the ministry through a field that is continuously evolving.

FLAME: What do the Communication Department duties entail?

KRISTINA: We oversee public relations and both internal and external dissemination of information for the Conference. This includes press releases, media relations, articles, publication of the FLAME, Texas news in the Southwestern Union Record, management of eNewsletters, as well as on our website and social media platforms. We liaise with other departments for production and audio/ visual aspects for events such as retreats and

trainings. We also support our local church pastors and lay leaders with communication tools to minister to their members and community.

FLAME: We know about the FLAME magazine, but what is the FLAMEbundle?

KRISTINA: The Texas Conference produces three publications. The FLAME is a quarterly magazine delivered to every member’s household. Its purpose is to inspire and engage readers to experience healthy wholesome physical and spiritual lives. With limited Adventist jargon, it’s also intended to appeal to nonmembers as a ministry tool. The FLAMELite is a monthly newsletter delivered to churches with the purpose of informing members about major news items, upcoming events, and departmental spotlights. The FLAMExpress eNewsletter is as an extension of the FLAMElite and is delivered by email.

Recipients must opt-in to receive the free publication at TexasAdventist.org/flame. The FLAMExpress includes local church bulletin announcements for events and activities that can be submitted via email a month and a half before the event, as well as highlights of Executive Committee minutes and messages from administration.

FLAME: How can I share what’s happening in my church or school with the Texas Conference?

JASON: Great question! There are numerous ways your church or school can share the cool things happening in your church or school.

We can promote your church events in our FLAMExpress newsletter or if your event has passed you could send us a 200-400 word article with pictures for publication in the Southwestern Union Record.

FLAME: We know a lot of folks are on social media, but how can churches use it as a ministry tool?

JASON: Social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the myriad of other programs can be your best friend.

For churches and members, the most effective way to use it is: it depends! Every church has its own unique culture, so let social media adapt to you instead of the other way around.

Whether your church would benefit most from numerous Facebook groups designed to organize its various ministries, updating members exclusively through Twitter, or transitioning your bulletin completely online (check out the Bulletin Plus review in Word of Mouth on page 17) depends entirely on what needs your church has. The key is consistency.

We’re always happy to assist if you have any questions!

FLAME: How can we get a hold of you or request more information?

JASON & KRISTINA: We can both be reached at communication@txsda.org and we encourage you to sign up for the FLAMExpress at TexasAdventist.org/FLAME. Don’t forget to check us out at Facebook.com/TexasAdventist and @TexasAdventist on Twitter!

FLAME | 7 Winter 2015

Teaching Practical Skills

By Glen Robinson

THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE, the old saying goes, and nowhere would it seem more applicable than in the field of communication. Technology drives the communication field, yet there are some basic principles that never grow old. And as students who study communication at Southwestern Adventist University are exposed to both the new and the old, exciting changes are happening.

This year, Southwestern welcomed award-winning Australian film director Kyle Portbury as its new Associate Professor of Communication. He brings a strong background in film production, directing, writing, and acting to the classroom, as well as a strong reputation among his peers. He has served as Creative Director for the Adventist Media Network in Australia, co-wrote and directed television documentaries that have won international awards, and most recently directed “Tell the World,” the $6 million feature film that tells the story of the Great Disappointment of 1844.

Portbury is fascinated by the “scope for change” he finds by teaching on Southwestern’s campus. “I’m here to help create storytellers,” said Portbury. “As Christians, if we don’t invest time and energy into training storytellers, soon we’ll be talking to nobody. We live in a world so used to listening to stories that they won’t hear you otherwise.”

Portbury joins a faculty that includes award-winning radio station manager and department chair, Michael Agee. Alison Hill teaches speech, public relations and advertising classes. I, myself, have taught writing and other communication classes at Southwestern for 17 years, served as Pacific Press editor, and published several books.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Agee serves as general manager of 88.3 The Journey, Southwestern’s radio station that has grown from 35,000 to 85,000 listeners in the past year. The station raised over $130,000 in pledges during its latest Share-a-thon, and is in the process of updating its 27-year-old antenna in order to improve signal and add up to 400,000 new listeners.

The two things we have to offer are tons of practical experience and a burning desire to see our students succeed. As a professor, I push my students in the classroom, but only because I know what the expectations in the industry are. We teach very practical skills. It makes me smile when they come back and say, “Hey, you were right; I did need to know how to do that.”

Another area of emphasis is internships. Professors encourage students to sign up for internships, not only for what they will learn by working with professionals, but who they will meet. Many graduates from the program have gained the opportunity for their first job

8 | FLAME Winter 2015

Department of Communica on

because of an internship they were involved in.

Senior communication major, Tristan Mikesell, is having the experience of a lifetime this semester as he participates in a film internship with Academy-award winning producer Gerald Molen, and a production staff that has formerly done work for HBO. The political documentary he is participating in, tied to the upcoming presidential campaign, is so top secret that Mikesell was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement before being let onto the set. He has already stated that the experience has been beyond measure.

Communication students took a high profile during this summer’s General Conference Session in San Antonio, with five students assisting Women’s Ministries with video production, several others helping out with news and public relations on the Texas Conference, Union, and General Conference levels. Communication junior, Matt Forner, worked with a General Conference crew that was responsible for producing a daily podcast, which received an honorable mention at the annual Society of Adventist Communicators convention.

Students returned to the Southwestern campus to discover that the department had purchased three new Blackmagic Design cameras with production software. The cameras are compatible with existing equipment owned by Southwestern’s Marketing Department and the Keene Seventh-day Adventist Church, which means cooperative productions now give staffers a total of eight cameras for shoots.

“It’s simple,” explains Agee. “We’re making an investment in our students and our department. We’re providing them with the tools they’ll have in their professions, while preparing them for the challenges they’ll see after they graduate. More than anything, it’s an opportunity for us to share our own spiritual journeys with them as they strike out on their own. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

Glen Robinson has a doctorate degree in Information Science. He is an author, blogger and communication professor at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas.

Collaboration in Communication

By Jessica Lozano

The Record magazine, the Southwestern Union’s monthly publication covering the news of the Union’s five conferences (Texas, Texico, Oklahoma, Arkansas-Louisiana, and Southwest Region), began publishing in the Spring of 1902, shortly after the formation of the Southwestern Union Conference. At the time, the Union had a membership of approximately 3,500. The weekly, eightpage, newspaper-style newsletter was an important tool to share news of the Adventist Church with members scattered across the Union.

Today, the Record is a 40-page, monthly magazine and still an important tool of the Southwestern Union as it works in concert with other channels of communication to share local Adventist news and inspiration with the union’s approximately 111,500 members.

Since it was first produced in 1902, it has undergone many changes to its design and content, but its mission, “Sharing News and Inspiration from the Southwestern Union,” has remained the same. Each month, the Record is packed with inspirational stories, such as testimonies, baptisms, and outreach efforts, and news, including conference-specific news and announcements, as well as the latest important developments from the North American Division and the General Conference. The magazine also highlights various ministries, such as children’s,

young adult, or elderly ministries, throughout the year, encouraging members to get involved, as well as providing resources to do so.

Each monthly issue is centered around a theme, and while it’s not always possible for every news story to coincide with that theme, it’s great when it does.

The themes for 2016 are as follows: January: Religious Liberty; February: Church Structure; March: Children’s Ministries; April: Summer Camp/Camp Meeting; May: Southwestern Union Constituency Report; June: Southwestern Adventist University; July: Christian Education; August: Health; September: Communicating the Gospel; October: The Environment; November: The Golden Years of Ministry; December: Keeping Christ in Christmas. Keep in mind that if you want to submit an article to be published in a particular month, it needs to be submitted at least two months before the date of the issue. Details about submissions below.

In order to publish the Record each month, the Southwestern Union Communication Department collaborates with each of its

member conferences, including the Texas Conference, to produce magazine’s content. The key contributor to the Record is you, the member. We encourage you to share your news, baptisms, testimonies, outreach efforts, ministries, and events, to inspire more outreach efforts. You can share your church’s news by submitting 400 word articles along with a great picture to communication@txsda.org as the Texas Conference collects, edits and refers the articles to the Union. We encourage our members to grow in their faith, and to equip members across the Union and within the Texas Conference with resources to grow the church and proclaim Christ’s soon return!

FLAME | 9 Winter 2015

His and Hers START WITH 10-MINUTE WARM-UP

MEN AND WOMEN are often as different as night and day. They typically think differently, make decisions differently, and, you guessed it, exercise differently! Consider that the 1993 book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus sold over 50 million copies and spent almost three years on the bestseller list, and you’ll begin to understand the divide between each gender. With that in mind, the FLAME enlisted fitness experts Brock and Courtney Reichert to craft specific routines that can be done virtually anywhere and by all fitness levels from beginner to experienced.

We aim to provide our readers with tips to live happy healthy lives both spiritually and physically, so grab a partner or your headphones and check out these routines!

PUSHUP LADDER

AN ADDED SPIN ON A CLASSIC EXERCISE TARGETS CHEST & TRICEPS

1

Start with your feet and hands on the ground a little wider than shoulder width, arms perpendicular to ground.

Do 10-15 repetitions on the ground.

Immediately move to an object where you can place your hands about 1-2 feet up (i.e., park bench), then do another 10-15 reps. This is one set.

2

Continue to go up as long as you have something to place your hands on. The higher your hands, the easier it becomes.

Repeat two more times for a total of three sets, resting one minute between each set.

ADVANCED TIP: Pause at the bottom of each rep for two seconds to increase difficulty.

SHOULDER SIDE RAISES TARGETS MEDIAL SHOULDER HEAD

For this exercise, you can use dumbbells or resistance bands.

3

Start with your chest up and shoulders back.

10 | FLAME Winter 2015

4

Raise each arm out to your side. Try to keep your elbows in a locked position when raising up. Pause for a second at the top then lower your arms for your first rep.

The workout we designed for this issue targets muscle groups that men and women usually try to prioritize and improve. Men usually want the big chest and shoulders while women work on toning and defining their legs and arms.

Most of these exercises can be made easier or harder with some mild tweaks. Courtney and I even broke a solid sweat shooting the pictures! Each workout routine includes three exercises to target different muscle groups. We encourage a 10-minute warm-up prior to any workout to get the blood into the muscles and the joints ready for dynamic movement. This can include a light jog, stair climbing, or simply a brisk walk.

Ready? Let’s go!

1

2

3

4

5

6

Complete 15-20 reps per set, rest one minute between sets.

Three sets total.

ADVANCED TIP: Try raising the weight to the front in the same fashion to work the front of the shoulder.

BANDED ROWS TARGETS BACK MUSCLES

5

Get into a power stance with feet wide and a slight bend in the knees.

6

Drive shoulder blades back first, followed by arms, then squeeze the elbows together behind your back for a good contraction.

Three sets total of 15-20 repetitions, rest one minute between sets.

ADVANCED TIP: bring hands higher up on row to target top back muscles and lower to target lower back muscles.

By Brock and Courtney Reichert

2

SQUATS

TARGETS LEG MUSCLES

1

This can be done with dumbbells or resistance bands. Place feet outside shoulder width.

2

3

4

Slowly lower as you bend your knees and hips.

Keep your head up the entire time. Lower to 90 degrees (or about the level of sitting in a chair). Pause for a second at the bottom then drive through the heels back to the starting position.

Three sets total of 20-25 repetitions, one minute rest between sets.

ADVANCED TIP: Try to never let your legs become straight or your knees locked out.

BENCH DIPS TARGETS TRICEPS

5

For this, the higher your hands, the easier the exercise. Place hands on side of bench right outside hips. Keep the elbows in tight to body entire time.

6

Bend elbows to lower down slowly until your upper arm and forearm are at about a 90-degree angle, then push back up.

Three sets total of 15-20 repetitions, one-minute rest between sets.

ADVANCED TIP: Try putting your feet up on an object for a harder challenge.

START WITH 10-MINUTE WARM-UP

1

CURLS

TARGET BICEPS

3 5

6

Keep elbows at sides at all times.

4

Bring arms up and pause at top for a second.

Slowly lower to starting position.

Three sets total of 15-20 repetitions, one minute rest between sets.

ADVANCED TIP: Try to slow the negative portion of the rep to 5-6 seconds for a good burn.

Brock and Courtney Reichert both work at Medical Center Arlington, where she works as a Registered Nurse in the Labor and Delivery Department and he works as a Physician Assistant in the Emergency Department. They attended Union College in Lincoln, NE, and enjoy traveling, bodybuilding, cooking, and cheering for the Texas Rangers. They attend the Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church.

FLAME | 11 Winter 2015

Aaron Thomas Photography

Feature

moment Not too soon a

By Kathleen Hernandez

AFTER MONTHS OF NAVIGATING bureaucratic red tape, having friends in the right places finally paid off. Pedro and Amarilis Hernandez had permission to leave Cuba, not once, or even twice, but three times.

One emergency or another kept them from escaping during each opportunity, but they knew this time was their last chance.

It was 1962 and emigration prospects were quickly disappearing. This was a time of major unrest in Cuba. Rebel forces led by Fidel Castro had taken over the government in recent years and October would yield the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Both in their early twenties, Pedro and Amarilis had not yet even celebrated their second wedding anniversary.

Three weeks earlier, Amarilis had given birth to their firstborn son, Peter, after a difficult pregnancy. Though overjoyed with their newborn, having a son changed everything and they desperately wanted to give him a better life away from Communism. They were ready and willing to leave everything behind: family, friends, home, business, wedding gifts – everything that couldn’t fit into one small suitcase that Amarilis packed with only one change of clothes for each of them, and filled the remaining space with diapers and clothes for baby Peter.

Their third and final permission to leave the country was scheduled for March 27, 1962, but Peter developed a bad ear infection just a few days prior to departure.

The doctor warned that if they flew to the capital of Havana in the small unpressurized aircraft before the infection cleared up, their son would likely lose his hearing. Crossing the whole island by land from their home in Santiago through mountainous terrain on poorly maintained roads with an ailing infant wasn’t an option, especially considering that Amarilis had not yet recovered from the delivery. Distraught, they turned to God for guidance. “Padre nuestro,” Amarilis prayed, “you know how urgently we need to leave, and we might not get another chance. We don’t want to risk our son’s hearing. Please give us wisdom. Show us what to do!”

Impressed to leave baby Peter with Abuela (Amarilis’s mother) they flew to Havana to try and get permission to change their departure date. If it couldn’t be changed, Abuela would fly with Peter to meet them on the 27th so they could make their international flight to the US from Havana, praying for God to protect his hearing if it came to that.

March 27 arrived, and still nothing had changed. Finally, with little time to spare, they received good news: The delay had been approved. Abuela and Peter wouldn’t have to catch a flight to Havana and risk his hearing loss. Pedro immediately called the house back in Santiago. “¿Aló?” his brother

Esteban answered. “Good news, hermano!

We got permission to change our flight.

Tell Abuela not to leave. We have time for Peter to get well!” Esteban replied, “They’ve already left for the airport, but I’ll try to catch her.” He rushed to the airport to see if he might be able to relay the message to her before they boarded the plane.

Though overjoyed with their newborn, having a son changed everything and they desperately wanted to give him a better life away from Communism. They were ready and willing to leave everything behind.

Meanwhile in Havana, Pedro and Amarilis decided to go to the airport just in case Abuela and baby Peter were already on their way. The young couple waited. The arrival time came and went, however no plane arrived. Thirty minutes went by as they sat watching the news on the television in the waiting area. Suddenly, a reporter interrupted with breaking news and pierced their anxious solitude. Cubana flight T819

carrying 18 passengers and four crew members had gone down shortly after takeoff in Santiago, landing in the ocean. There were no survivors.

Panicking, they rushed to a pay phone.

Pedro’s voice quivered as he gave the operator the information for the collect call.

No answer. More waiting. He dialed again.

Amarilis sobbed uncontrollably, but there were no words to comfort the young mother.

More calls went unanswered. Thoughts of the worst possible scenarios flooded their minds.

Would they be conducting a double funeral for their only son and his grandmother instead of starting their new life? Seconds felt like hours. Finally a voice replied: “¿Aló?” A wave of relief rushed over Amarilis as she heard her mother’s voice on the other end of the line. Esteban had arrived in time and caught Abuela just as she and the baby were in line to board the ill-fated aircraft.

Three weeks later, Pedro, Amarilis, and a healthy little Peter sat on an American Airlines flight to Miami with tears streaming down their faces as they watched their beloved homeland disappear over the horizon. As the coast of Florida came into view, the words of the pilot over the intercom overwhelmed their emotions. To an eruption of applause from a plane full of refugees dreaming of a better life, he repeated his message: “Ladies and gentlemen, I have news from President Kennedy: You are all welcome in the United States of America.”

EPILOGUE: This was one of many miracles Amarilis and Pedro have witnessed during their marriage of 55 years. Amarilis’s faith in those early years, and an answered prayer during the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962, convinced Pedro to put his trust in God. He was baptized, and ultimately enrolled in the theology program at Atlantic Union College. After graduating, he pastored for 35 years in the New Jersey and Texas Conferences until his retirement in 2011. He continues to serve as a volunteer minister.

In addition to supporting her husband in ministry, Amarilis had a successful career as an attorney in private practice, as well as serving as attorney for the New Jersey and Texas Conferences. Pedro and Amarilis have three sons and five grandchildren. Their firstborn, Peter, teaches photography at Milo Adventist Academy in southern Oregon, and owns his own photography, retouching and graphic design business.

Kathleen Hernandez works as a Bible and Spanish teacher, as well as recruiter, for Milo Adventist Academy in Oregon. She is married to Peter Hernandez.

By Ruber and Ketty Leal

THE HOLIDAY SEASON is the time of the year where many people are inspired to give and Christians have the best opportunity to promote what we know was the greatest gift ever given to humanity: Jesus Christ. When we think of God and His love for us, one of the first phrases that comes to mind is the beginning of John 3:16 that says, “God so love the world that He gave…” The difference between the traditional gifts we give and the heavenly gift from God is that our lives are never the same when we receive Jesus as our Savior. It is important to keep this in mind and have it be evident in our lives.

This Christmas we challenge you to rethink the way you give gifts. As Jason Topp suggests in Wise Bread, before you lose your sanity trying to figure out what to give why not consider some gifts ideas that will inspire and many times change the life of the receiver? Take a moment and analyze the shelf life of traditional Christmas presents. We’ve listed some heartfelt gift ideas below that may be helpful and useful as you prepare your gift list.

Zoo Membership: A zoo membership is a great gift for a family with children. The membership can be used multiple times throughout the year and usually includes free passes for other activities in the zoo.

An Animal: Through an organization like World Vision, for as low as $25 you can provide a family with animals like goats and chickens, which will provide vital nutrition and extra income to feed children and families in poor countries throughout the globe.

perennials: Astilbe, bergenia, bleeding heart, brunnera, ferns, foamflower, goatsbeard, hellebore, heuchera, hosta, Solomon’s seal, spiderwort, and violet.

Handmade Mementos: Are you an artist? Create a canvas to help decorate someone’s home. Do you love children? Make redeemable coupons with your phone number for a free night of babysitting per month for someone you know. Have a passion for cooking? Volunteer to teach your skills. Use your natural talents, be creative, and have fun.

A Recognition Plaque: Not everybody gets to hang a recognition plaque on their wall. Choose someone special in your life and give them a small plaque or medal engraved with words of recognition and gratitude for what this person means to you.

A Collection of Memories: Give a collection of family photos to your spouse, grandparents, or other relatives. Use a site like shutterfly.com to put them into a memory book, wall calendar, or any number of other creative ideas.

A Good “How To” Book: A book that can teach a new skill or way of doing things could be a gift that gives back many times over and over. We really like the book by John Maxwell titled: How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life.

Perennial Flowers: Consider giving flowers that bloom each year. Here are two ideas. Sun perennials: Black-eyed Susan, coneflower, coreopsis, daylily, delphinium, gaura, hardy geranium, iris, penstemon, peony, phlox, pincushion flower, poppy, Russian sage, salvia, sedum, and Shasta daisy. Shade

14 | FLAME Winter 2015

Ruber and Ketty Leal are the Texas Conference Family Ministries Directors.

Ruber also pastors the Garland Faith Community Church, while Ketty is a supervisor in the Microbiology Lab at Methodist Richardson Medical Center.

Find them on Facebook and online at BeForeverOne.org.

2016

SUMMER Lake Whitney CAMPRanch

Bridges

& Young Adults

making ministers for the master

Staff Week Cub Week Junior Week Tween Week Teen Week Family Camp

June 5-12, 2016 June 12-19, 2016 June 19-26, 2016 June 26- July 3, 2016 July 3-10, 2016 July 10-17, 2016

For more information and registration: YoungTexasAdventist.org or call 817.790.2255 ext. 2201

Info at: SEEDSTEXAS.ORG Pre-register for FREE at:TXCHURCHPLANTING.ORG

t s i w ern T

d o M

Just in time for Christmas

is an indulgent, deliciously creamy drink that is great for a crowd or keeping all for yourself!

Try this festive, 4-ingredient drinking chocolate infused with peppermint, and pair it with one-bowl gingerbread men. These are perfect for rolling out and stamping or forming into balls for making the most tender, delicious gingersnaps on the planet.

Whether you need to entertain the kiddos or whip up something warm this season, these recipes are perfect for bringing a little warmth to a chilly afternoon. Recipes from MinimalistBaker.com.

PEPPERMINT DRINKING CHOCOLATE

• 2 cups milk (dairy or non) • 1 3.2-ounce quality dark chocolate bar, chopped • 1-2 Tbsp raw sugar • 1/8-1/4 tsp peppermint extract • Regular or coconut whipped cream • Crushed peppermint for topping

Instructions 1. Add milk to a small saucepan over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until warm. You don’t want it to boil, just get hot enough to melt the chocolate.

2. Once hot, add the chocolate and sugar and whisk to melt. Do so vigorously to ensure everything gets combined. Once it has reached your desired temperature, sample a bit to determine if it’s sweet enough for your liking.

3. Remove from heat and add peppermint extract, starting with only 1/8 tsp since it can be very strong and overpowering. Once it’s to your liking, transfer to small serving glasses and top with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of crushed peppermint candies or candy canes.

GINGERBREAD MEN

• 1 egg or flax egg (1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 2.5 tbsp water) • 1/2 cup brown sugar 161/4| cup almond butter •

on Fest

ive Fav

es

• 3 Tbsp molasses • 1/4 cup softened regular or vegan butter • 3/4 tsp ginger • 1/2 tsp cinnamon • 1/4 tsp nutmeg • 1/4 tsp salt • 1/2 tsp baking soda • 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 cups pancake mix Instructions 1. In a large bowl, mix egg (prepared flax egg has been mixed and rested 5 minutes) softened butter, molasses, almond butter, brown sugar, salt, spices, baking soda and beat on low with a mixer or vigorously whisk.

2. Add flour to the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon. Stir until well combined.

3. Cover and chill dough for at least one hour, preferably overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Carefully roll out dough to a little thicker than 1/8 inch between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment/wax paper, generously sprinkling the bottom layer and the top of the dough with white or brown rice flour before rolling.

6. Remove top sheet and, working quickly, dip your cookie cutters in flour and cut out shapes. Next, lift the plastic wrap (with all of the dough) and place it on a baking sheet or large plate and freeze for 5 minutes to let them firm up. This will make them easier to transfer to your baking sheet for baking.

7. Next, use a lightly floured spatula to carefully transfer the cookies to a baking sheet. Leave 2 inches for spreading.

8. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until they appear only slightly browned on the edges. They’ll continue firming up as they sit on the pan. Let rest on the pan for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

9. Once cooled, decorate with frosting or sprinkle with powdered sugar. A a simple frosting option is piping on a mix of 2 cups icing sugar, 1 Tbsp melted butter, and 1-2 Tbsp milk. Just make sure it’s on the thicker side so it doesn’t run!

Bulletin+ Smartphone App Reviewed by Gabriel Perea

Reviews for books, movies, gadgets and apps that help enhance ministry and spiritual growth.

The Bulletin Plus app by Pixelark allows churches to utilize technology in an exciting new way and has two primary functions. First, it functions as a church app and secondly, as an app-based bulletin. If your church is investing hundreds or thousands of dollars on paper and toner for your bulletins, this is a cost effective and useful alternative. That isn’t to say that a church would have to have one or the other. We know paper bulletins still have a place in our church too, but we love having an alternative to begin driving down those costs!

In addition to the bulletin features, Bulletin+ is also a cheaper alternative to paying a developer to build your own church app. Advent Project in San Antonio is a millennial church that typically attracts a younger audience (and a small funds congregation). As such, we opt for a more green solution in our approach to connecting and informing our young adult community. It being a better monetary investment is just the icing on the cake for the needs of our church.

In the app, you can upload posters of events, ministries, and other pertinent information such as pictures, Adobe PDF files and even traditional bulletin PDFs for those who like a more traditional look to their worship order. In addition, you can create links to websites and a variety of online resources. The overall product is easy to use for everyone from novice to tech-savvy and easy to edit for those responsible for design and management. Once a bulletin has been finished, it can be e-mailed it to a list of Bulletin+ subscribers or scheduled to be published on a given date and time in the app itself. The bulletin will then be automatically pushed to each various device that has elected to receive them, and will even be sent to preselected social media sources. This app is the perfect solution for our church, and we feel that many throughout Texas will feel the same. We gladly give it two thumbs up!

The service costs $59 monthly, which includes basic bulletin look with scrolling

option and the aforementioned features or with tab and menu bar at the bottom of the screen. For $149 per month and a $399 setup fee, your church can have a customized church app with its own branded ecosystem and personal consultant. Bulletin+ is available for Apple and Android.

Gabriel Perea is the Associate Pastor for the Scenic Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Teaching Pastor for Advent Project Church, a young adult ministry in San Antonio.

I Am IN STEWARDSHIP MINISTRIES, there are two important questions that I’m often asked.

“Doesn’t God want me to pay all of my bills first and then return my tithe and offerings?

He doesn’t want me to get evicted or go hungry, right?” The strongest biblical answer for this question is discovered in the narrative of an amazing woman of faith.

Under the reign of King Ahab, Israel had willfully forgotten that all good things come from God. They credited the god Baal as the source of life and increase. In 1 Kings 17:1, the prophet Elijah suddenly appeared in the court of King Ahab and declared that there would be, “no dew or rain except by his word.” The Lord instructed Elijah to then go east to the Brook Cherith. There, the ravens would feed him and he would have access to water. When the brook dried up and the ravens’ work was finished, the Lord sent him to a widow in Zarephath.

God sent Elijah to the region where Jezebel’s father, the king’s father-in-law, ruled.

The twenty-third Psalm of David reminds us of God’s care and reads, “you prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” This table would be in the city of Elijah’s enemy

Second

and in the home of a widow and her son. God has a million ways of providing for us, but the catalyst of every great miracle is a heart of faith.

Imagine the severity of the famine as this loving mother gathers a few sticks to make a small fire and prepares their last meal knowing they will die. Presently, few of us can understand the gravity of the widow’s plight.

Even watching a child starving to death and unable to do anything about it is incomprehensible. An anonymous and often-quoted statement that always encourages me is, “when you have nothing left but God, suddenly you realize that God is enough.” But it takes a bold step of faith!

After Elijah arrives at her home and speaks with the widow, he says, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.” One would think, doesn’t God expect me to take care of my son and myself first?

The audacity of this request to place the need of this strange prophet over your own child could be cause for concern. It either requires tremendous faith or for someone to be

By Minner Labrador Jr.

tremendously gullible.

Perhaps this faithful widow remembered that everything comes from God or perhaps she struggled, as I would have. Her response is inspirational as she places God’s request above her own need. By doing this, 1 Kings 17:16 tells us, “The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.” For over two years that small jar had flour and the oil never lacked.

Putting God first isn’t for everyone; it’s only for those who know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is faithful. In Malachi 3:10, God says through the prophet, “Try Me now in this… if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” Only in faith are these kind of miracles possible. Putting God first always pays off!

Minner Labrador is Vice President for Ministries, Men’s Ministries, Sabbath School and Stewardship Director for the Southwestern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

FLAME | 17 Winter 2015

The Greatest

Gift

Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists • Department of Trust Services P.O. Box 800 • Alvarado, TX 76009 Phone: 817-790-2255 • Toll Free: 800-847-2792 • Fax: 817-783-2698 Email: trust@txsda.org • www.TexasConferenceLegacy.org

JESUS WAS GOD’S GIFT TO THE WORLD, not just for Christmas, but for every single day – your whole life through – and even beyond, for all eternity.

As we shop for gifts this Christmas season, what better gift than one that will help to share the good news of God’s gift with others?

There are many ways to make your yearend gifts to the church. You may choose to make a gift of cash, or you may wish to talk to someone about giving a gift that will give you a continued income throughout your life (a Charitable Gift Annuity). Perhaps you have nothing to give at this time, but you would like to remember your favorite church, school, or other area of ministry in the distribution of your estate through a Will or Trust Agreement. Whatever God places on your heart to give, call or email us if we can be of help.

For youth and young adults who are hearing God’s call to work the harvest in these last days!

School of Evangelism in Texas Registration is now open for S.E.N.T 2016!

Visit: YoungTexasAdventist.org

Ministry & Missional Training Events 2016 Save the date! These Evangelism, Ministerial and Hispanic Ministries events and programs will be in your neighborhood next year! Join us as we enrich our spiritual lives and journey together in ministry.

EVANGELISM TRAINING

EVANGELISM EMPHASIS: DALLAS

Workshops and classes for pastors, ministry directors, leaders and assistants who wish to further infuse an evangelistic focus in their ministries. Starts at 3 pm, dinner served after!

January 9: Intercessory Prayer Event for #iwantMORE Evangelism in Dallas at 3 pm

January 23 February 13 February 20 February 27 February 27 March 5 March 12

April 22: #iwantMORE Soul Winning Festival in Dallas

| East Texas | Austin | Houston | Dallas | Fort Worth | Valley | San Antonio

ELDERS GATHERING Bringing together church elders and pastors for equipping, networking, and fellowshipping by area. Exchange ideas and share challenges to help strengthen the camaraderie and leadership in your church. Meetings scheduled from 4-7 pm and include dinner!

May 21 | Valley June 4 | Houston June 11 | Austin & San Antonio June 25 | Dallas & Fort Worth June 26 | East Texas (10 am-1pm includes lunch)

CHURCH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT| DEACONS & DEACONESSES TRAINING (Two events, one venue, 3-7 pm) Church Leadership Summit focuses on the spiritual and missional influence of church leaders. It will help you discover effective leadership tips and refresh your leadership style.

Deacons & Deaconesses Training is designed to help equip and empower members in this vital ministry of the church. Meetings scheduled from 3-7 pm.

July 30 | Austin August 6 | Houston August 13 | San Antonio August 20 | Dallas & Fort Worth August 27 | Valley

April 9-22: #iwantMORE Evangelism Meetings at Dallas area churches

EVANGELISM EMPHASIS: AUSTIN August 27: Intercessory Prayer Event for #iwantMORE Evangelism in Austin at 3 pm October 29-November 11: #iwantMORE Evangelism Meetings at Austin area churches November 12 #iwantMORE Soul Winning Festival in Austin

Please keep these dates in mind in planning area church activities and calendars in order to maximize training potential and minimize scheduling conflicts. In most cases, childcare is not provided. Please visit TexasAdventist.org for more event information or contact the Texas Conference at 817-790-2255 ext. 2123.

Theology

God His Promises Fulfills

By Jorge Rico

THE WORD CHRISTMAS OR NATIVITY derives from the Latin word, nativitas, which means birth. This word is used to commemorate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem in Judea.

The actual date when the Christian church adopted the 25th of December to celebrate the birth of Christ is actually unknown, but the earliest mention of the observance of December 25th can be found in the Philocalian calendar.

This calendar presents the observance of this date in the year 336 AD in Rome. By the middle of the 5th century, the 25th of December was observed east and west of the Roman Empire.

DOUBLE PROMISE Christmas had its true beginning when sin entered the world. Before removing the first couple out of Eden, God gave them a double promise found in Genesis 3:15.

First, he put enmity between the woman and the serpent.

With this promise, God guaranteed that Satan would not have absolute control over creation. At the same time, God confirmed He would intervene throughout history to keep Satan from achieving his desired earthly dominion. Second, He would send a male seed to bruise the head of the serpent. The celebration of Christmas finds its beginnings in this promise of the coming of Redeemer. The Savior would be divine, come from a woman, and He would defeat the serpent. Throughout history, the Lord kept these promises alive in the minds of the faithful.

Through these promises, God prepared the way for the coming of the Redeemer.

FULFILLMENT OF THE DOUBLE PROMISE When the fulfillment of time had taken place (chronou in Greek), God sent His Son, born of a woman. With this declaration in Galatians 4:4, Paul highlights two important elements. First, the use of the word chronou indicates that Jesus was born on a specific date fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27. Second, the phrase born of a woman fulfills the messianic act of having to be born from human lineage in fulfillment of the promises in Genesis 3:15 and Isaiah 7:14. The consummation of these divine promises was announced in a spectacular fashion. According to Luke, God sent angels to announce the fruition of His promises and the arrival of the Messiah.

The announcement held certain special details. First, the Son of God would be born in the city of David. This fact corresponded with the promises made to Jacob, David, and Micah. Second, this child

20 | FLAME Winter 2015

was the Savior promised to men from the beginning of time. Third, the name Christ (Messiah in Hebrew) means anointed. There would be no need to await the coming of another Messiah. Fourth, the Messiah would also be called Lord (kurios in Greek) The term kurios is used to refer to people of high society or royalty. On a divine level it applies to God and it establishes Jesus’s divine nature. Fifth, the child would be wrapped in a particular fabric. This fabric is described by the word esparganomenon. This Greek term is used to identify the dressings used to wrap a body prior to burial. This is significant because it shows that the newborn child had been born to die. Finally, the angels’ songs offered a message of peace to the men of good faith and not to all of humanity.

The angelic proclamation denotes God as a living being who delivers on His promises, who intervenes throughout history in order to assure the fulfillment of His promises, who is faithful and who gives meaning to the life of men. Not only is the Christmas season a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but it is also a time to celebrate the fulfillment of His divine promises.

Dr. Jorge Rico holds a doctorate in Pastoral Ministry and a PhD in Religious Education, and is a Professor of Religion at Southwestern Adventist University.

Kidz Korner

Lost in theWoods

By Andrew Austin

O TO D TUFF OME ME S IS SO BORED. S N, E R E W T H UR O U GE ION N YO N YO WHE AN DO O PERMISS LT C DU ED A E N N YOU A OU M Y RS. O T R U F B OTHE HELP FOR AND

1

CREATE BIRDSEED ORNAMENTS! Those cookie

cutters can be used for more than just cookies. Mix 4 cups birdseed, 3/4 cups flour, 1 envelope of gelatin and 3 tablespoons of corn syrup. Coat cookie cutters with cooking spray and pack mix into the cookie cutters over parchment paper.

Insert a straw near the top portion of the cookie cutter and dry overnight. Then remove straw and carefully remove your birdseed ornament from cookie cutter. Run twine through ornament and hang outside.

Enjoy watching visiting birds as they munch on their new treat!

2

PAINT THE SNOW! All you

need is a few spray bottles and your favorite food dye colors. Fill the bottles with water then add food dye to the water until it’s the color you want. You can also mix primary colors for more variation.

(Hint: blue and green make turquoise; red and blue make purple) Shake the bottles up and voila! Snow paint! Now head outside tap into your inner Picasso or inner da Vinci.

Try to stick to the snow in your own yard though!

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, my cousins and I loved to go outside and build forts. We didn’t have many fancy or expensive things but that didn’t matter to us. Every day after school we would go into the forest of the Piney Woods in East Texas, alongside our trusty black Labrador dog named Tippy, and live in our own worlds amidst the trees. It never crossed our minds that snakes or other dangerous animals could be lurking around, we were having fun!

Never did we think that there were more interesting or exciting things to do than to go and build our forts. Fallen trees, rocks, and scrap from home were used to make our wilderness mansions. It was peaceful out there away from the television and other distractions that are around today.

One day we got lost and didn’t know how to get home. That’s when the games stopped and we became scared. I didn’t wear a watch so I had no idea what time it was, and I knew that my parents would want me to be home by supper. We tried to find our way home but only became more and more confused about where we were. Finally I sent up a prayer to God and decided that we should follow Tippy because she would know where to go.

I bent over and hugged my best friend, knowing that my dog would see us safe. She smiled back in the way that only dogs can do and set off. I’m not sure if we got home by the fastest path, but we eventually came out of the woods safe and not late for supper. Tippy got a few extra treats that day.

Life can be pretty tough sometimes, but God desperately wants to help us through it. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and He will make your paths straight.” No matter how bad things get, how lost we feel, God will always be there for us.

As I’ve gotten older I’ve found that the responses won’t always be as easy to see or quick to understand as it was in that forest, but God still answers in time. I’m in college now so there’s not a lot of time to go out and build forts, but a part of me will always live out there amongst the trees, soaking in God’s nature.

3

DECORATE ICE CREAM CONE CHRISTMAS TREES!

Grab a couple waffle ice cream cones and flip them over on a plate. Gently cover the cones with green frosting and stick on your favorite small candy. Some ideas include M&M’S, mini and regular size, jellybeans, gumdrops, sweeties, sprinkles or even some yarn for garland. Add a couple of these trees to your gingerbread house and start a village!

4

MAKE A HOLIDAY SNACK!

Mix together some popcorn, pretzels, raisins, dry cranberries and nuts.

Sprinkle in some green and red M&M’s for color, but not too much! You can use green and read sugar sprinkles also. Melt 1/2 a cup of white chocolate morsels in the microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time until smooth. Pour melted chocolate over the mix and stir until mixed well. Let mix cool and harden for about an hour. Perfect for sharing with family or in festive treat bags for friends and neighbors!

Do you have a story?

Share it with us! Send us your story and we may use it in the “Kidz Korner” of the next FLAME issue!

Email stories, 400 words or less, to FLAME@txsda.org

Snow is actually translucent, not white. It looks white because of the way the light reflects off ice crystals.

S T C A F N U F All snowflakes have six sides.

Snow forms when water vapor in the atmosphere freezes into ice crystals.

Ten inches of snow melts down to only 1 inch of water.

The average snowflake falls at about three miles per hour.

Research has proven that no two snowflakes are alike.

Events DECEMBER 5 ||

Missional Compass Leadership Training at San Antonio Scenic Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church.

5 ||

Estate Planning Seminar at Houston Spanish North Seventh-day Adventist Church.

JANUARY 9-10 || Club Ministries

22-24 || SENT School of

Evangelism, at Houston Central Seventh-day Adventist Church.

23 || Estate Planning

Seminar at Spring-Tomball Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church.

23 || East Texas Area

Evangelism Training at the Tyler Seventh-day Adventist Church.

27-31 ||

Houston Area Evangelism Training at the Houston West Seventh-day Adventist Church.

20 ||

17-20 || ASI Southwest

27 ||

26 || Estate Planning

Dallas-Fort Worth Area Evangelism Training at Burleson Seventh-day Adventist Church and Richardson Seventh-day Adventist Church.

MARCH 5 || Valley Area Evangelism

Annual Council Meeting at Texas Conference Office in Alvarado, TX.

SWAU Basketball Tournament Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, TX.

Training at McAllen Valley Central Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church.

9 || #IiwantMORE Intercesory

FEBRUARY

Vacation Bible School Training at Burleson Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Prayer Event in Dallas.

9 || Estate Planning Seminar at San Antonio Fil-Am Seventhday Adventist Church.

9 || Estate Planning Seminar at Houston Spanish Little York Seventh-day Adventist Church.

15-16 || Houston Area

SEEDS Conference at Houston Central Seventh-day Adventist Church.

11-13||

Purity Conference at Southwestern Adventist University.

13 || Central Texas Area

Evangelism Training at the Austin Spanish First Church.

18 || 7th & 8th Grade Music Festival at Keene Seventh-day Adventist Church.

20 ||

Estate Planning Seminar at Baytown LaPorte Seventh-day Adventist Church.

20 ||

Estate Planning Seminar at Laredo Spanish South Seventh-day Adventist Church.

22 | FLAME Winter 2015

Chapter Spiritual Retreat at La Torretta Lake Resort and Spa in Montgomery, TX.

Seminar at Texas City Seventhday Adventist Church.

APRIL 3 || Vacation Bible School

Training at Scenic Hills Seventhday Adventist Church.

17-21 || Outdoor School at Camp Hoblitzelle in Midlothian

6 ||

7 || Estate Planning Seminar at San Antonio Philadelphia Seventh-day Adventist Church.

22-24 ||

SENT School of Evangelism at Houston Central Seventh-day Adventist Church.

MAY 1-2 ||

11-13 ||

Southwestern Union Conference Constituency Session at Keene Seventh-day Adventist Church.

12 || San Antonio Area

Elders’ Gathering for the Valley Area.

BYOB Young Adult Retreat at Prothro Center at Lake Texoma

Evangelism Training at Scenic Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church.

21 ||

Want more info?

17-20 ||

Music Festival at Southwestern Adventist University & Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas.

Registration, information and more events on the Texas Conference website at TexasAdventist.org.

FLAME A publication of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Texas.

EDITORIAL Publisher..............................................Carlos Craig Editor.......................................Kristina P. Lockhart Associate Editor.................................... Jason Busch Assistant Spanish Editor.................Osvaldo Rigacci Layout Design....... Madelein Terreros, Sora E. Yañez Translation Coordination.........Kristina P. Lockhart Translators......... Mariangela Busby, Jorge Ordoñez, Silverman Terreros, Jackie Martinez, Angelo España

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church Southwestern Adventist University Southwestern Union Conference Ruber and Ketty Leal Feature and Ministries images by

Employees of the Adventist Church often change leadership positions and areas of responsibility. This section is to help you keep up with who’s where in Texas.

Aaron Thomas Photography

Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Fernando Leite:

Will Klinke:

Pastor Beaumont and Warren Churches

Associate Pastor Dallas Spanish Oak Cliff Church

P.O. Box 800, Alvarado, TX 76009 Phone: (817) 790-2255 www.TexasAdventist.org

ADMINISTRATION

Mark Valadez:

Dr. Brian Carter:

Pastor Groves, Groves Spanish and Orange Churches

Pastor Missouri City Church and Bay Area Company

James Winegardener:

Dr. Ferdinand Regalado:

Senior Pastor Keene Church

Senior Pastor Edinburg Church

President...............................................Carlos Craig Treasurer...........................................Edwin Romero

PRINTING & MAILING Director...........................................Mario Ledezma Pressman .......................................... Miguel Gomez Designers..................................... Madelein Terreros Sora E. Yañez Print Shop Assistant............................Doug Denny

Arthur Preuss:

Peter Weber:

Associate Pastor San Marcos Church

Pastor McKinney Church

Dennis Austin:

Don Gibson:

Senior Pastor Joshua Church

Associate Pastor Keene Church

BIBLE WORKER

Clasified Ads:

Seventh-day Adventist Church in Decatur, IL is looking for a Bible Worker. One–year contract, full or part-time. Need resume and references. Please contact Pastor John Lewis for details at jelewis727@gmail.com.

Administrative Assistant...................Erica Manzano

The FLAME is a publication of inspiration and education of the Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. It is sent free of charge to all members of the Texas Conference on a quarterly basis. All others may request an annual subscription for a fee of $10.00.

It is our prayer that you will find the stories in these pages inspiring and empowering so that together we can share the flame of Christ's love with those around us, both in Texas and beyond.

CLASSIFIEDS

Classified ads are now available in the FLAME. Advertising available for churches, schools, and members’ small businesses. Rates and information at TexasAdventist.org/FLAME or contact FLAME@txsda.org.

If you have questions or comments, please email: FLAME@txsda.org

FLAME | 23 Winter 2015

TXCSDA FLAME P.O. Box 800 Alvarado, TX 76009

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Ft. Worth, TX Permit No. 3310

AMONG THE BEST UNIVERSITIES IN TEXAS Join a team of family life specialists as they make this event an unforgettable According to US News Best Colleges in Texas experience for you and your spouse

Just 30 minutes south of Fort Worth!

Visit our website for weekend details and registration!

www.BeForeverOne.org

For questions call (817) 790-2255 EXT. 2108

199 Early Bird (per couple) + Lodging ($109 per night + tax) $

• includes three meals per person, seminar materials, and a special gift • deadline july 15 extended to september 15 ┃ children not allowed

Saturday night

couple’s date night & dinner will be on your own!

swau.edu

enroll@swau.edu 800-433-2240