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“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance

Click. Click. Finally it’s turned in, and what a relief to have my assignment accomplished. As I sit at my desk, I relish the thought of a few minutes of reprieve, and begin to imagine some time to sit down and finally think about my life and what’s happening—but no, not for now; the next quiz is due in a

(originally printed as ‘Our colleges and academies’, in The Christian Educator, September-October 1897) Most institutions make themselves profitable by profiting off their students; high tuition, mounting rooming costs, and extortionate meal plan prices subsidize salaries and foster a culture of consumption. Students become customers, the school a hub of advertisement seeking to gain the business of their unwitting target audience.

In moments of intense effort and sacrifice – when you can feel sweat dripping down your brow – we often discover the value of our labor. I remember vividly the day I dug a massive hole—a task that left me exhausted but immensely satisfied. My sore muscles, sweat, and even bruises showcased how much work I had put into the task.

The Bible makes blue-collar workers look good. The term ‘blue collar’ is a relatively new one, completely unknown to our Adventist pioneers since it wasn’t popularized until the early 1900s. In 1911 Fredrick Taylor published his most notable book, The Principles of Scientific Management, in which he described the ideal workplace dynamic. According to Taylor, the more important group, “the Planners”, maximizes output from the

Nature is filled with astounding beauty, and within this beauty we find astounding truths. Bound up in the simplicity of an apple tree, for example, is a remarkable truth about identity and purpose. Where does the apple tree come from? A seed. But not just any seed. It comes from the apple seed, which has a distinctness from all other seeds. That seed

Would you ever act without the full evidence that God heard your prayer? How much would you venture on the slightest indication of divine favor? Yes and all, echo the bold answers of the prophet Elijah. Called by God to bring about revival and reformation in the kingdom of Israel, Elijah was sent to King Ahab to pronounce God’s imminent

A hush falls on the room, the men reclining around the food-laden table suddenly alert. All their stony gazes are pinned to the single object of their focus: The woman. Her steps halting, she presses onward toward the single object of her focus: The Man. Efforts encumbered by her embarrassment, she reaches Him at last, falling wordlessly at His feet.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…”[1] I can easily think of ways an emphasis on peculiarity has been used to justify eccentricity or, on the other hand, self-regard within Adventist circles. It can often