Stewardship It's All About Life Last month I shared how I was privileged, early on in my ministry, to share Wednesday afternoons with Mel Rees. Around his dining room table I learned some "big ideas" about stewardship. These are ideas I still believe in and remember. The first b... Read more
Stewardship: It's All About Him After finishing seminary, I became the pastor of the Woodland (Wash.) Church which was exciting, challenging and a bit intimidating because Mel Rees was a member of the congregation. Rees was the Oregon Conference stewardship director and the reco... Read more
Christmas Beyond Bars A glowing fireplace with yuletide log, children caroling in the streets, brightly-wrapped packages — these are images of Christmas so many hold dear.But when the Word became flesh, there was little celebration, no red carpet, not even a welcome ma... Read more
Whatever it Takes Even if it's Pathfinders There is nothing closer to our hearts than our kids, right? And there is nothing more important than nurturing them into a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ that will secure their eternal life in Him.None of us can know for sure what decis... Read more
To Serve is to Love Be nice to your brother. Don't gossip. Clean up after yourself. Help your friends. Treat your neighbor as yourself.I grew up with the Golden Rule in mind, and I suspect you did, too. "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to y... Read more
The Media and the Message "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth — to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people — " Revelation 14:6.1 Could any Scripture be more Adventist than this? Th... Read more
Is it Legalistic to be Ready? I recently remembered a parable I first heard from C. Mervyn Maxwell. As I recall, the story involves two fictional characters called Gary and Orville.Gary was tall, athletic — a 4.0 GPA pre-med student. He had lots of friends who admired his atte... Read more
Proof in the Pudding I started my church school experience in a one-room school in the basement of the Jamestown Church in North Dakota—twenty-one kids representing six of the eight grades available. And I don't feel one bit persecuted. I, "Maxie Carle" Torkelsen, lov... Read more
Fast Food Gardens... Billions Underserved In my childhood, the drive-through was still a mystery, and the Golden Arches hadn't yet wrapped their arms around every neighborhood. "Grandmother's Pies" and "Mother's Bakery" really meant your grandmother and your mother were in the kitchen up ... Read more
