IDEA EXCHANGE
The Valley of Prayer
Wow! I’m referring to Marvene Thorpe-Baptiste’s devotional “The Valley . . . of Prayer” (June 2012), and the unique way she incorporated the Lord’s Prayer into her story. Everyone can relate to this story in one form or another, because the Lord’s Prayer is active in everyone’s life, whether one is aware of it or not. God is merciful to all, whether we acknowledge it or not.
As a Christian parent myself I offer my kudos to her parents for their diligent acts of prayer. When evil gets tough, prayers get tougher.
Nicole Benoit-Roy
Brooklyn, New York, United States
Reaching an Ancient Region
Thank you for the articles in the May 2012 edition of Adventist World. Well done!
The article “Reaching an Ancient Region in a New Way,” by Ted N. C. Wilson, was of special interest. Having spent almost three years serving in Beirut, Lebanon, I was excited to read about the organizational changes for the work of the Adventist Church in the Middle East region. The proposed changes sound reasonable and practical. We pray regularly for the people of the Middle East.
Murray Chapman
Australia
In the World Vista feature about the church’s administrative realignment in the Middle East region, Ted N. C. Wilson correctly anticipated the impact his message would have on readers, and suggested multiple ways to become involved. This is good.
However, glaringly missing from his final suggestion in the section regarding the Secretariat’s office (p. 10) is specific contact information. This is always vital. Information at the end of Knott and Kellner’s interview on the Fundamental Beliefs Review Committee (April 2012) is a good model.
My personal interest is in knowing about how/what adjustments are made at the General Conference to accommodate this realignment, and where else, if at all, such special alignments exist.
Sterling Cox
New York, New York, United States
Sharing and Connecting
I found a priceless treasure reading the February 2011 Adventist World, especially the cover story features in “Sharing Him,” by Bill Knott and Gina Wahlen, and I realized one thing: the Holy Spirit can bring those pages to our minds as His own in order to impress us again in our daily experiences as Christians, giving us a sense of belonging—as branches connect to the Supreme Vine.
Klesio Silva
Humberto de Campos, Maranhão, Brazil
Encouraging Words
I always look forward to receiving my copy of Adventist World each month. I found the editorial and other articles to be very encouraging and uplifting.
Keep up the good work.
Ralph Lombart
Canterbury, Kent, England
Life-changing
I read the June 2010 magazine earlier this year, and my life has never been the same. Thank you!
I need your prayer support. I am a baptized member who has completed high school and would like to go to college.
Kepha Opiyo
Kenya
Letters Policy: Please send to: letters@adventistworld.org. Letters must be clearly written, 100-word maximum. Include the name of the article and the date of publication with your letter. Also include your name, the town/city, state, and country from which you are writing. Letters will be edited for space and clarity. Not all letters submitted will be published.
Prayer & PRAISE
I am requesting prayer for faith, commitment, healing, and forgiveness.
—Wendy, Zambia
I am a local church elder working with poor children in our village. I am praying that God will inspire people to donate clothes, food, funds for education, etc.; and encouragement to continue this ministry.
—Chunduru, India
Please pray that my rebellious son may learn about God’s eternal mercy, come to know Him, and experience His great love.
—Leonie, England
Praise God! After two years of not knowing where my daughter was, we were finally reunited in May 2012.
—Meka, United States
I have been in a relationship for a long time with a person I love more than anyone in the world. I just found out something very disappointing. Please pray for our relationship. I need God to be our mediator.
—E.J., Malawi
The Place of Prayer: Send prayer requests and praise (thanks for answered prayer) to prayer@adventistworld.org. Keep entries short and concise, 50-words or less. Items will be edited for space and clarity. Not all submissions will be printed. Please include your name and your country’s name. You may also fax requests to: 1-301-680-6638; or mail them to Adventist World, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600 U.S.A.
50 WORDS OR LESS
My Favorite...Hymn
♦ “Safe in the Arms of Jesus” were words that comforted me when winter winds caused our older home to creak and groan, with the nearby trees brushing their leafless limbs against the windows. The words “safe on His gentle breast” brought me peace and slumber.
—Esther, Loma Linda, California, U.S.A.
♦ My favorite hymn is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” I’ve changed the line “all I have needed” to “much more than I needed Thy hand hath provided, Great is Thy faithfulness! Lord unto me!”
—Manuel, Cebu City, Philippines
♦ When I wake up at night and can’t get back to sleep, I recite mentally these words from the hymn “In the Morning When I Rise”: “Dark midnight was my cry, Give me Jesus.” I often go through all four verses before going back to sleep. It’s worth it.
—Hayden, Kingston, Jamaica
Next time, tell us in 50 words or less about your favorite Bible character. Send it to letters@AdventistWorld.org. Put “50 Words or Less” in the subject line.
Exercise Your Brain
Moderate aerobic exercise increases the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain in which memories are formed. Age-related memory loss can be slowed, even reversed, by exercising several times a week.
Source: The National Academy of Sciences/Vibrant Life.
top 5
The world’s most popular fruit
1. Mangos
2. Bananas
3. Apples
4. Oranges
5. Grapes
Source: Top5lists.net
138 Years Ago
John Nevins Andrews and his children, Charles and Mary, left for Europe as the first church-sponsored missionary for the Seventh-day Adventist Church on September 15, 1874.
Andrews settled in Switzerland and, after learning French, began publishing tracts in that language. Less than two years later, in 1876, he published the first issue of Les Signes des Temps (Signs of the Times).
Andrews, who could read the Bible in seven languages and had memorized the entire New Testament, died in Basel, Switzerland, in 1883.
"In the end, everything will be all right. If things haven’t worked out, it’s because it is not the end."
—Pastor Rogério Gurniak, in a 2011 sermon about how to overcome the difficulties of everyday life, at the Seventh-day Adventist church in Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Be Smart, Don’t Start
15 minutes is all it takes for cigarette smoking to cause DNA damage.
Source: Chemical Research in Toxicology
Where in the World Is This?
Scroll to the bottom of this page for the answer!
Think About It!
Activity and entertainment cannot take the place of the Holy Spirit. The world is coming to an end. . . . We need the Holy Spirit more than ever. . . .
Let us receive the Spirit with open, dedicated, hungry, believing, and willing hearts.
—from a sermon presented by Heinz von Gunten, lay preacher and member of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Romanshorn, Switzerland; translator: Karen Grob
ANSWER: A village in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, at the opening of an Adventist church for indigenous people of that region. Pictured are Ursulino Freitas, president of the Central Mineira Conference; Ronaldo Santana, pastor of the Manga district; and a Xacriabá Indian.
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