Closer To Heaven
|
|
|
by Melody Tan | 13 March 2025 | My son used to take offense to Cyndi Lauper’s 1980s hit, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” This, coming from a then-four- or five-year-old: “Are girls the only ones who can have fun? What about the boys?” he would say. As he got older and exposed to […] Source: https://atoday.org/do-girls-just-wanna-have-fun/
Después de 15 años, el 19 de febrero la Universidad Adventista del Sur decidió retirar las dos estatuas de granito de Elías y Eliseo. La demolición, que duró cuatro días, fue una decisión difícil y largamente debatida. Según Marty Hamilton, vicepresidente asociado de administración financiera, el Comité de Arte Público de Southern decidió retirar las […] Source: https://atoday.org/demolicion-de-las-estatuas-de-elias-y-eliseo-en-la-universidad-adventista-del-sur/
Mil ocho adultos se graduaron el 2 de febrero del programa de alfabetización de la Agencia Adventista de Desarrollo y Recursos Asistenciales (ADRA) en El Salvador. Los certificados fueron por completar programas de lectura y escritura, ofreciendo la oportunidad de continuar su educación. Según un artículo de Adventist Review «En asociación con el Ministerio de […] Source: https://atoday.org/programa-de-adra-mejora-la-alfabetizacion-en-el-salvador/
Inside Story for Friday 14th of March 2025
By Andrew McChesney
Pediatrician Colette Reahl hoped to bring the 13-year-old Alaska Native girl home before the Sabbath hours. She had told Matrona that she was a Seventh-day Adventist, but it seemed like a good idea to get settled at home in Anchorage before spending their first Sabbath together.
Alaskan adoption authorities, however, had other ideas. They told Colette that she could take the girl on Sabbath.
Image © Pacific Press
The day before the big move, Colette called Matrona at her facility in Anchorage. “I usually go to church on Sabbath,” she said. “Would you like to go with me?”
“No,” Matrona said.
When Matrona arrived the next morning, she announced that she wanted to watch television.
“On Sabbaths in my house, we watch Christian-themed shows or nature videos,” Colette replied.
Matrona was surprised. She asked if she could watch an animated television show about wild animals instead.
Colette and Matrona got to spend two months of quality time together in Anchorage before moving to Bethel, where Colette had a new job at a hospital. During that time, they developed routines and built their relationship. They had morning and evening worship, and Matrona grew spiritually.
Today, Matrona is 15, and she loves living in Bethel, where she goes to homeschool, takes piano lessons, has many friends, and is actively involved in the life of Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church.
“God just orchestrated everything,” said Colette, who, in addition to working as a pediatrician, serves as a Bible worker and coleader of the church.
“The sassy Matrona whom I first met on the phone is very different from the Matrona now,” she said. “She is a leader for the kids at church and in the community. I see God working in her life and maturing her faith.”
Matrona expressed gratitude for Colette’s persistent phone calls and now her persistent love as a mother. “If she hadn’t tried and tried to get through to me, I wouldn’t know who God is,” she said.
She said God used Colette to change her life. “How she found me was no coincidence,” she said. “I feel that God led her to me and God led me to her. God has brought me to a good place and given me peace.”
This mission story offers an inside look at Bethel (Alaska) Seventh-day Adventist Church, which received part of a 2024 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering. Thank you for helping spread the gospel with this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering on March 29.
(0)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-11-inside-story-the-persistent-mother-part-3/
Daily Lesson for Friday 14th of March 2025
Read Ellen G. White, “The Reward of Earnest Effort,” Pages 285–288, in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9,
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“All that has perplexed us in the providences of God will in the world to come be made plain. The things hard to be understood will then find explanation. The mysteries of grace will unfold before us. Where our finite minds discovered only confusion and broken promises, we shall see the most perfect and beautiful harmony. We shall know that infinite love ordered the experiences that seemed most trying. As we realize the tender care of Him who makes all things work together for our good, we shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, p. 286.
Discussion Questions
|
(0)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-11-further-thought-what-more-could-i-have-done/
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:22, NIV).
Tag someone in need of prayer, and kindly share your prayer requests here:
https://wkf.ms/3DBuapQ Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1hqzyCfQDE
Living with loss is one of the hardest things a person can go through, whether it’s the death of a loved one, a personal injury, the loss of health, property, friends, finances, that job you were depending on, that betrayal by that friend or lover, or even divorce. However, it is possible to find a way forward while honoring what (or who) you’ve lost. Mike shares some insights that may help you in your journey of living with loss. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl44CrQEJMY
Charles was a trained catechist in his local Catholic church and enjoyed studying the Bible. But the more he read, the more he realized his church didn’t follow many of its teachings. In his search for truth, he joined the local Pentecostal church and thought he’d found the right path. Things were finally coming together for him, so he decided to start a taxi bicycle business and invested his savings into purchasing 76 bicycles. But soon his excitement turned to bitter disappointment when more than half of the bikes were stolen! Then, to make matters worse, a piece of land he’d purchased for farming failed when his workers became ill and the soil yielded little fruit. Charles concluded that the land “must be cursed.” Desperate for help, he went to his pastor, who suggested that to break the curse, Charles should give his entire income as an offering. Sadly, despite donating all his earnings, things only went from bad to worse, and he fell into a deep depression. But God, who sees the heart, knew all about Charles’ troubles, and He had a plan for his life. Watch this video to see what happened next and how God intervened. I love to see lives changed for God’s kingdom, and I especially love it when God uses Adventist World Radio to do it! Yours in the Blessed Hope, Duane McKey
President Sync ID Code
MB013FBFNO80L8K seismic-feat-boda-judah-earl-musicbed Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TBe-14exc4
“Chi copre gli sbagli si procura amore, ma chi sempre vi torna su disunisce gli amici migliori”. 📖 Proverbi 17:9
—
💌 Apri la porta del tuo cuore
🗣 Speaker: Elisa Ghiuzan Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os_xmTQxioM
The woman at the well was seeking something better, and she discovered the Living Water — the true source and Author of life itself! Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo9TFZNiHUE
Intercer is a website with biblical materials in Romanian, English, Hungarian and other languages. We want to bring the light from God's Word to peoples homes. Intercer provides quality Christian resources...[Read More]
