“The church is not the church of God without the Word of God.”
—Tabatha Azua, a Southwestern Adventist University student, in a 2013 New Testament research paper; submitted by professor Ingo Sorke, Keene, Texas
“If you don’t feel the reality of God, you won’t be able to face the Ninevehs in your life.”
—Pastor Ron Nelson, at the Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, Adventist church, December 2003
In our small church we had been discussing how to attract back to church those members who no longer attend. I was reminded of the portrayal of the church as a hospital for sinners to get well. When ill, people often choose a hospital, not based on how ill or well the other patients are, but on whether it is believed that the physician will be the best one to heal them. In the church setting, however, we sometimes use the excuse of the illnesses of the other members (patients) as a reason to avoid church.
I shared my observations with another church member and got this response: “In most hospitals the other patients don’t walk around with their own clipboards diagnosing everyone’s problems and prescribing what they think is the best medication.”
—Maurine Wahlen, Bozeman, Montana
A young pastor depended heavily on his elders to assist him with his three-church district duties. Returning one Sabbath after one of his younger elders had given his first sermon, the pastor asked, “How did it go?”
“Well,” the elder answered, “I found out that I am just as good a preacher as you are.”
“Is that right?” replied the pastor. “How do you know?”
“I put the same people to sleep, and made the same ones mad as you do” was the tongue-in-cheek reply.
—Bea Creech, So. Colby, Washington
May the wind that blows you out to sea
And takes you home once more,
With the Master’s touch and His powers that be
Keep you safe from shore to shore.
—Eileen Candy Gould, Washington
