August 18, 2014

Give & Take

Adventist Life

While we were visiting our 2-year-old grandson Lyol in Tchad, Africa, we read many stories about Jesus while Lyol’s missionary parents were at work. One story was about the children waving palm branches and singing out “Hosanna to Jesus, the son of David.”

Lyol went to his bedroom, and we could hear him rummaging through his stuff. He came out with his stuffed backpack strapped on and announced he was ready to go see Jesus. When I tried to explain to him that Jesus was coming for us, he adamantly said, “No, Lyol go see Jesus now!” He wore his backpack through lunch and dinner.

The next morning he had his backpack strapped on again and asked, “Today we go see Jesus?” What a lesson from a child—we should always be ready to see Jesus.

—Ronnalee Netteburg, Silver Spring, Maryland

In our kindergarten Sabbath school class we were talking about the story of Baby Jesus and His birth when the teacher asked the kids who was Jesus’ cousin. One eager little girl raised her hand and announced, “The Holy Spirit!” This caused the teachers to smile.13 1

—Linda Zinke, Fallbrook, California

Poem

His Masterpiece

How raw the ragged edges of my soul!
How snaggled, raveled-out my tapestry!
Would He come, mend the gaping, undarned hole?
Would He stoop, lend to me His mastery?

No. When He comes, He lends not; He mends not.
No. Not such squalid, little cure.
No patchwork, darned hole, no unsightly knot;
Instead, He brings the stuff that can endure.

He comes inside, reweaves the broken threads.
He dwells within a fragile, raveled self.
He eases pain, and softens all the dreads.
He gives much more than mere external help.

He heals me gently, from the inside out.
And all His threads? They shine so clear and bright!
He weaves His confidence where I would doubt.
He gives His Son’s light to my deepest night.

How raw the ragged edges of your soul?
How snaggled, raveled-out your tapestry?
Ah, but He comes to weave your fragments whole!
The Father makes of us His masterpiece.

—Kathleen Tonn-Oliver, originally published in the Adventist Review more than two decades ago as “Masterpiece” and resubmitted in 2014

Sound Bite

“Don’t buy the devil’s merchandise. Check the tag. If it says ‘Made in Hell,’ don’t buy it!”

—Pastor Ivor Myers, ARME Bible Camp, Ozark Academy, Arkansas

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