We were saddened to learn of the death of Pastor Jack (John) Mahon on 31 October 2019 after a short illness and only three days after celebrating his 98th birthday. Jack was born on 28 October 1921 in the cotton mill town of Blackburn, Lancashire. He was the youngest of a family of five. His character and values were formed by his early experiences of the Great Depression and love of reading. His parents were early Seventh-day Adventist converts and two of his sisters, Kathleen Culverwell and…Source: https://adventist.uk/news/article/go/2019-11-08/death-of-pastor-jack-john-mahon/
Roadside Rescue | AWR360°
Have you ever hit rock bottom and been so discouraged that you considered suicide? Freddy had. He’d lived most of his life without God and was unconcerned about spiritual things. Then one day he received a phone call that changed his life. His sister had been murdered. That senseless act of violence filled him with a helpless rage that could only be drowned with alcohol. But the more he drank, the more he loathed himself, until he reached the point of wishing he could end his life. But God in His love and mercy saw a very different ending for Freddy. He led him from the pit of despair and set his feet on the solid Rock. So solid, in fact, that today Freddy is an evangelist for Jesus. —Duane McKey, President Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ-pFYc5nUI
News Briefs for November 7, 2019
News reports from the West-Central Africa Division; Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital; ADRA Philippines; Porter Adventist Hospital and Andrews University: Adventist News Network reported the deaths of two former leaders of the West-Central Africa Division, Luka T. Daniel and Robert J. Kloosterhuis. Daniel, 76, was originally from Nigeria. He served as Union secretary, Union president, […] Source: https://atoday.org/news-briefs-for-november-7-2019/
The exit interview
Professor Ray Roennfeldt thanks his colleagues for their contribution to the cause in an interview marking the end of a tenure as Avondale’s oldest and third-longest serving president. Public Relations Officer Brenton Stacey also asks the retiring 72-year-old about his leadership and his legacy. Source: https://wp.avondale.edu.au/news/2019/11/08/the-exit-interview/
And the Devotional Book I Recommend for 2020 is……
… the Bible!
Apple pies are great. I love them, especially with whipped cream or ice cream on top. They make a great dessert, and yes, even with everything else that goes into them, the apples provide real nutrition. Even so, for a daily breakfast routine I would recommend an actual apple over an apple pie. I just think an actual apple is more nutritious than an apple pie. That doesn’t mean I’m throwing grandma’s apple pie recipe away. It just means on a daily basis I eat actual apples. My stomach only holds so much food and if its filled with apple pies, then there won’t be any room for actual whole apples.
Its the same with devotional books and the Bible. Of course God created us to be social creatures. I actually learn from other people’s comments in Sabbath School class and on Sabbath School Net. I learn from books other writers have written. So I am not suggesting you throw away your new 2020 devotional book any more than I am suggesting throwing away grandma’s apple pie recipe. Just make sure you are eating plenty of whole apples, and make sure you are actually reading the Bible. While serving as a literature evangelist I learned that during the years Arthur Maxwell wrote the Bible Stories , he read only the Bible as he did not want anyone else influencing his depictions of the Bible stories.
Image © Sally Weimer from GoodSalt.com
The other day I was teaching a 4th-grade Bible class in a local Adventist School in which I occasionally substitute. I asked the children why do we pray before reading the Bible? I received several good answers, but my favorite came from a boy who answered “Because Proverbs 3 says we are not to trust our own understanding but to depend on God for understanding.” What a great application of Proverbs 3:5 I thought! 2 Peter 1:21 tells us that those who wrote Scripture were moved by the Holy Spirit. In John 16:13 Jesus assures us the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. The same Holy Spirit that moved the writers to write those words thousands of years ago, is the same Holy Spirit that teaches us as we read those words. The Holy Spirit can teach you as easily as any theologian.
When I preach on Sabbath I like to make sure I use plenty of Scripture. That way if my own thoughts are worthless at least people got to hear actual Scripture, which is valuable. Most of my illustrations are my own, but of course I get ideas from others as well. When we read the Bible for ourselves we also have ideas the Holy Spirit gives us to share with others. If we do not read the Bible for ourselves then we are only getting ideas from others. This is not fair to them or to us. We are not contributing our fair share and others are doing all the thinking for us. A mother breastfeeds her infant with the hopes that one day the infant will grow up to feed him or herself. Likewise we should not always rely on other authors to feed us. God wants to teach us all how to find our own spiritual bread in the Bible.
In Ezra’s day there was a reformation and revival as the people turned back to the reading of the Word. I think our church today is in desperate need of a revival and reformation inspired by the reading of the Word.
Amen!
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