So Connection #1: Sex and the Sabbath were both created by God in the Garden of Eden.

Now let’s go a little bit further into why. Why did God create sex? Sex was created for a two-fold purpose the first is for procreation and the second for intimacy. Gen. 1:28 says “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” that is the procreation angle.

Have you ever wondered why God made sex pleasurable and not boring? “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (24 – 25). Sex is an integral part of marriage, God in his wisdom created body parts that mesh and fit so well that two become one and this isn’t just physically this verse hints at an emotional intimacy, an emotional connection.

Why did God create the Sabbath?
Does God get tired? No. He does not. So why does Gen 2: 1 -3 says that he rested from his work. Could it be that God rested on the Sabbath as a template for man? Here’s how I envision it, the Trinity is chilling up in heaven by the sea of glass and God the Father says let’s make man in our image and then after 5 days of speaking things into existence He forms man with His hand and puts a bowtie on creation by spending the 7^th day just chilling and bonding with man. Focusing on our relationship with Him, he does this all in an effort to foster intimacy between man and God. Check out Exodus 20: 8 – 12 and Isa. 58: 13 – 14, it’s about relationship pure and simple.

Connection #2: Sex and the Sabbath were created by God to enhance relationships.

Unfortunately for us, Eve ate the fruit, sin moved in and all that was pure became corrupted. Sex which was previously an expression of true love, used to enhance the relationship with a couple was distorted. Adultery, incest, masturbation, homosexuality are all distortions of this gift that predate our technological advances such as porn and are in scripture (Gen. 19:5, 36; Rom. 1: 26 – 27). The Sabbath a gift from God was forgotten and replaced to suit the needs of man. Its purpose watered down and diluted to the point that the Creator’s intention is obscured by the devil.

Connection #3: Both have been distorted and now are being used by the devil to destroy our earthly and heavenly relationships.

What blows my mind is that the church is now complicit in this deception. Our response to the devil’s misrepresentation is secrecy. In an attempt to appear pure and holy we lock sex in a box and feed our children cookie cutter answers. It’s sad that children are being born out of wedlock, teenagers are having sex in church basements, adults are engaged in affairs and all we do is cut off the leaves of tree by disfellowshipping the outwardly guilty without addressing the root cause. Some of our churches seem too scared to even mention the word SEX. Instead of being real with our children and friends about our experience with this gift, misrepresented by the world, we feed them absolute statements about AIDS, babies and guilt. We do this so well that our children rebel taste the forbidden fruit don’t get AIDS, babies or a boatload of guilt and so they continue to indulge in this sin that destroys the foundation of every healthy relationship.

We dress the Sabbath the same way; we throw out names like Constantine and dates like 324 A.D. without sharing with our friends and children the immense joy of just chilling with God for a full 24 hours. This gift from God we pound into their heads with a list of dos and don’ts, we legislate what can and can’t be done on the Sabbath instead of focusing on the relationship we are suppose to have with our Creator. Our kids don’t get it and have become masters of disguise, coming to church yet ever watching their clock, counting down the seconds till the sun sets. Our friends don’t get it because we either wear it as a badge of privilege reserved for the elect, or a burden or a item on our checklist to ensure we reach heaven.

We wear our abstinence and sabbath keeping like a badge of merit instead of a symbol of grace and Christ’s unending love.

Connection #4: Misrepresented by church

Sex done right is about honesty and freedom. Not backseats of cars, or dimly lit motel rooms. It is definitely not about broken condoms or morning after pills. It isn’t about seductive perfume or suggestive clothing. It is about being naked and unashamed with your spouse.

Sabbath done right is about honesty and freedom. Not two hour church services with frowns on our faces or looking over our shoulders when we stop to buy gas. It isn’t defined by the clothes we choose to wear to elicit a response from fellow believers about our status or class; it isn’t about the fake smiles on our faces plastered to portray a peace we don’t truly feel. It is about being spiritually naked and unashamed in front of God who loves us beyond what you can imagine.

Connection #5: It’s about honesty and freedom.

Sex done right isn’t a one night stand. It needs foreplay that begins when you wash the dishes in the sink and take out the trash. It starts with flowers when she least expects it and grows with 2 a.m. discussions about your fears. It’s about commitment.

Enjoying the Sabbath isn’t a one day stand either, it doesn’t begin when the sun sets on Friday. That’s just the cherry on the cake. A good Sabbath starts on Sunday during your personal devotions and continues all through the week as you make a choice to surrender to His will.

Connection #6: It’s about commitment

I think I’ll stop right here.

So yeah, it’s the Sabbath. Embrace it, not because it makes you part of a special group of Christians called the remnant but because it draws you closer to Him to the one who created you, a sexual being, in His image. Get lost in the loving Creator, be it in a secluded park, or in an empty church, or with a friend in a hospital or at home with a bed ridden parent. Get lost in Him and rediscover what it means to worship Him on this wonderful day.

‘Cuz He created everything beautiful including you.

Later y’all

Dominion: originates from the latin word dominus which means supreme authority.

Sin, shall not have supreme authority over you.
What dictates your actions?
What governs your motives?

Do you go to church because you have to or because you want to deepen your relationship with Christ?
Do you help a brother in need because it is required or because you are eager to share the blessings bestowed upon you with another?
Do you refrain from drinking alcohol and coffee because the Bible warns against mood altering substances or because you would prefer to be in health so that your body prospers and is able to spread the good news of Christ’s love?

for you are not under law but under grace
If your answers are the latter it is because you are living under grace and not the law. Is the law still being kept?
Yes it is but your motives are different and so in each mistake you make, you realize it is part of a bigger picture and journey and not a checklist that determines your standing with God.

This is profound. Read the 6th chapter in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome and think about this.

Does this mean that we never sin?
Of course not.

As any baptized Christian knows, sin doesn’t just automatically disappear from our lives once we come up out of the water. Not being ruled by sin isn’t the same as not having to struggle with it. We have a daily, moment-by-moment battle to keep reckoning ourselves dead to sin and alive unto Christ. Though the promises of victory are there, we must claim them—by faith. We always must remember, too, that God’s grace abounds, even when we sin.
(Quote from the lesson)

So how does one have victory over sin
1. Make a choice: Romans 6:12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. KJV

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. NIV

That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life.  Message Translation

It’s a decision.
It’s a matter of the will.
It’s a conscious choice made daily not just at the time of baptism.
The message translation says don’t even run sin little errands

How often do you find yourself opening the door just a little bit to sin?

Don’t you realize that service to one master is betrayal to the other?
(You might as well spit in the guy’s face, kill his children and set his house on fire)
Seriously, that is what your choice signifies in the context of the Great Controversy.

2. Acknowledge your choice and it’s consequences: Romans 6: 16

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? NIV

You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. Message Translation

I can go on and on and quote verse 23 which goes into the wages of sin but i think y’all get it at this point.

Victory over sin is only possible through a relationship with Christ. Each day we have to choose Christ and choose to surrender to His will and even when we fall, His grace is made perfect in our weakness. We do not measure our relationship with Him through the letters of the law by checking off a checklist of the things we have done or not done. Instead we put our trust and faith in the one who promised that the work He began He will bring it to completion in our lives.

What kinds of issues are agitating your church at present? Are the threats more from without or from within? What role are you playing in these debates? How often have you stopped to question your role, your position, and your attitudes in whatever struggles you’re facing? Why is this kind of self-examination so important?

These are important questions and no church is perfect so I’m sure yours has issues but what role do you play? Are you content to be a bystander or do you hold your leaders accountable and seek the will of God above that of an elder or pastor or head deacon?
Paul wanted to see the church in Rome, not because he thought it would be a cool place to vacation or wanted to visit his father’s brother’s sister’s son’s mother. He had a desire to connect with the brethren visually in order to share with them the truth of our Savior.
What motivates you and your actions in regards to the church? Do you do things more out of convenience or a genuine desire to alleviate pain and spread the gospel?

Paul gets to Rome not as he expected and not on the route he planned (Acts 28: 17 – 31)
Life has a way of taking very interesting and sometimes hazardous turns. Even when our intentions and motives are pure, life doesn’t always go the way we plan. Paul’s journey to Rome is one such example.

So here is the question I leave y’all with.  How do you remain faithful with the unexpected twists in your life that currently don’t look or feel good?

Dwight K Nelson (Focus on Pastors)
Our growth rate is pathetic, we are not focused on living evangelism, if we were we would have an exponential growth rate that comes from discipleship and not quarterly events.
As a member of this church, how many people have you mentored or discipled? Do you even know what it means to do so?

Dennis Meier (1st Sabbath Vespers)
The gospel is not you instilling the fear of hell into people in order to get them to repent. The gospel instead, is you showing them that they are worthy of His love and have them surrender and accept Him not out of fear but out of gratitude.
When you speak to your non-Christian friends is it to lecture them about their sins and consequences or to remind them that they are wonderfully created in the image of God who loves and wants to save them?

Abraham Jules (Friday night Vespers)
There is a difference between the logos and the rehma. The difference between the written word of God and the revealed word of God for a particular instance. Peter found himself at a crossroads, because there seemed to be a conflict between the Word and the dream he received about unclean animals.

How has the logos (written word of God in its entirety) and the rehma (revealed word of God for a specific situation) played out in your life? Do you even know the difference?

Matt Gamble (GodEncounters Friday night)
The truth is that most Christian men would rather watch porn than read the bible, so why pretend differently? The beauty of grace is the mystery of salvation. All you have to do is surrender to the One and let Him work a change in you. Surrender starts and ends with FAITH. That is your part in the plan of salvation.
Breathe in and out, seriously how can you embrace His grace if you are determined to come before Him spotless and clean without the need of a Savior. So start with honesty and a humble heart.
What is your natural propensity to the things of God or the things of men?
Aha! You see, you really aren’t that perfect - so get off your high horse and embrace His grace.

Methodology and Theology. Let us not confuse the two. When we assume that methodology and theology are the same we run the risk of legislating change by enforcing behavior. Christ was a conservative in His theology but His methodology was liberal. He healed a sick man on the Sabbath in order to remind us to keep it holy and not to follow a bunch of rules.
Try and remember the last argument you had in relationship to your Christian walk.  Was it one rooted in theology or was the disagreement in methodology?

Robert Lemon (2nd Sabbath Divine Service Offertory)
Everyone born in an affluent country has won the lottery in this life.
Everything that comes from the manufacturer is on a journey to the trash dump. Each day it takes one step closer. Do you really think that when Christ returns he will care about your car, house or wardrobe? Reacquaint yourself with His mission and rededicate your life because the things you chase after are temporal.
Where does your treasure truly lie?

Ted Wilson (2nd Sabbath Divine Service Sermon)
The church is under attack from liberal ideas that seek to undermine the authority of  God by scrutinizing and criticizing the Bible. The entire Bible is the Word of God and if it says that the world was created in 6 literal days who are you to question this?  To debate the creation account as stated in Scripture is to bring into question the very foundation of our belief.
The Bible points to roughly 6,000 years on this planet, scientists have forensic data that dates Dinosaurs millions of years old. Can the two co-exist?

Standing at the edge of the Red Sea, the Israelites became afraid. Up until this point, they were being led by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night yet still they were afraid. The path where God leads the way may lie through the desert or the sea, but it is still a safe path.

Church members keep your pastors and conference leaders accountable; make sure that they are following the word of God as laid out in Scripture.
Do you do that? Keep your pastor accountable, or does your Bible need dusting because you receive the word pre- chewed instead of gleaned from your own personal study time?

Use the Spirit of Prophecy humbly - not with pride. Continue to go forward with the humility of Jesus. When you are transformed, you will live out grace in your life.
Humility and grace, pride and … where do you stand?

…
Okay so I’m thinking one more grace note to wrap it all up. Hit on the beauty of the Parade of Nations, but then again I don’t know if it can be put to words ….
Can there be grace amid dissent: I have stayed away from all the issues and snafus that arose from a doctrinal standpoint. With the election of officers and also the murmurings of the members - can their be grace.? I’m thinking of a way to put a positive spin on it all but …….

“What!!! A prince never retires prince Joe” said  Pastor Dwight Nelson (Senior Pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews University)

AGAIN!!!

Once more I’m waylaid for the umpteenth time by another person that my father HAS to greet at the session. Seriously, how are we supposed to get good seats for the Heritage Singers concert if my father is determined to reconnect with every former classmate and colleague that he has met and served with over the last 40 years of ministry.

I had it all planned out.

1. Find the parents at 2pm
2. Make our way to the auditorium for 3pm so that we can get good seats
But here we are at 3:31pm and he is talking to Pastor Nelson a former classmate from the Andrews days.

Arrgggggggghhhhh

I have this huge crush on Pastor Dwight. Having lived on the campus of Andrews University for over a third of my life, I have spent countless hours listening to his sermons. Even though I’ve been away for the last 6 years I still find myself subscribed to his Podcast just so I can stay up to date. It’s the way he says what he says. His ability to fuse current day events and impact each generations that comes through the halls. I could go on and on but yeah, lets just say that I am a DKN groupie.

So yeah, I’m mentally salivating. I’m about 5 feet from his brain and it’s like wowwwwwwwwwwwwww. 5 feet from the hands that he runs through his now silver hair

Anywayzzzzzzzzzzzzz I’m on a mission so I touch my dad’s sleeve one more time in an effort to halt the reunion and then he says to Pastor Dwight.
“I’m retiring this year.”
“What! A prince never retires prince Joe says Dwight (my dad is related to the Oba (King) of Mobaland in Nigeria).

They laugh say their farewells and we continue on our journey.

Fast-forward two hours and here I sit in the balcony of the auditorium squinting in an effort to see Max and the rest of the Heritage Singers crew when it hits me.

Grace moment #3…
A prince never retires
We are heirs of the kingdom. Joint heirs with Christ, Paul says in one of his epistles - so we don’t retire. We will get tired, cry, take time off, regroup but we press on through each struggle and each trial because we know that the affliction of this world is temporal in comparison to the eternal peace that awaits us in Heaven.  So this goes out to every prince and princess of the kingdom - press on y’all (said with my Texas twang).

We are not slaves or servants, but friends of God. We have been given an inside track as Christ says in John 15:15 to know what the Father is doing. The world at large may guess and wonder, but we know how the story ends. In those difficult moments when life ceases to make sense we trust in His promise that we are heirs, a royal priesthood of a eternal kingdom.

So let’s live like it.

Let’s act like it. So that they world will see, ask and then we will proclaim the love of our Father.

…

The picture above shows them waving to my mom and sister who are up the escalator
The picture to my left shows my Pastor Dwight bowing in the customary greeting given to royalty to my dad who is wearing a  golden fila (hat).

It’s 9pm my feet hurt from walking, I still haven’t checked my email (I’m suffering from Internet withdrawal), but here I am in the lower level of the Sheraton Hotel waiting for the GodEncounters program to start.  In tandem with the Impact ATL conference, GodEncounters is in Atlanta to draw the youth and young adults into a real relationship with Christ. The mood was set with appropriate decor, small round tables that welcomed intimate confessions, candle light, purple color lights dimmed across the stage, a guitar stand. It looked like your typical coffee house or poetry joint. About a mile from the Georgia Dome young people gathered together from across the globe some wearing jeans and cotton. I look  for place to sit and that’s when I see her. Over six feet tall wearing a pink  tank top, blue jeans  with her long blond hair in a ponytail she looked more at home than I felt.

She fit right in, sitting in front of me.

She fit right in until she started dance. While others non obtrusively raised their hands in worship this young  lady danced her heart out. When the chair in front of her proved a hindrance she  moved it out of her way and resumed her jumping, clapping and dancing  tribute to her God unaware of those around her.  Focused on her adoration as she worshiped for an audience of one.

Initially I was ticked off, because she was standing in front of me and it was kinda distracting.
Then I closed my eyes and I could almost hear her heart shout “if you knew what he has done for me  you would understand “. In this grace moment I realized that the world will ask for an explanation when they see me praise  Him. I won’t have to distribute tracts or orchestrate meetings or try gimmicks to get them to show up, they will be drawn to my expression of his grace and it is then that I will have  a ready and willing audience to which I can proclaim His grace.

It was a 21st Century remix of the Alabaster Box scene from Mark 14 and I got front-row seat tickets to this wonderful life lesson.

His love fills us up. That is the long and short of it. When you realize and accept His love you cease to be conformed by the conventional modes of praise, worship and living, you praise Him the way your heart cries out. Now for some of us that might mean sitting when others are standing, for others it might mean kneeling and for others it might mean just crying or writing or bopping your head from side to side.

That’s not what I’m trying to say.
Let me try again.
His love fills us up. You cease to be confined by rules and are more concerned with pleasing God.
Yep that’s it

One thing realized is that it is less about you - and more about it. Less about what those around you may think and more about just being humble and giving praise to the One who Is.

Matt Gamble was in the house sharing from the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, Nick Zork was in the room with a praise band that had notable alums from Andrews University. In the next couple of weeks I will forget the songs that were sung and the major points of the message, but her praise has left an indelible mark on my heart. As I strive to live this Christian Experience I will remember her worship and try to be true to the One regardless of who is watching.

To watch some of the proceedings at the 59th General Conference Session in Atlanta visit hopetv.org

Working on only two hours of sleep because we drove all night to get to Atlanta I was just trying to pick  up tickets for the Heritage Singers 40th anniversary when I stumbled  upon a familiar tune.  The language I couldn’t determine, but I picked up my pace anyway until I was standing in front of the Hopetv booth staring at these four  beautiful men singing Gaither Vocal Band’s A Sinner Saved by Grace. I joined in silently singing the English version and watched the faces of  countless others as they also sang the refrain.  “…loved and forgiving backed with a living I’m just a sinner
Saved by grace,” in their various languages.

But I’m on a mission so as soon as the song ends I leave the booth in  search of Heritage singer’s booth. I find it,  pick up my tickets, try and  make a beeline for the exhibit exit and that’s when I heard  “You’ve got to do right ooh give the light” by a very very deep voice, thinking it is the cute Argentinian quartet I rush back  there with my sister but it isn’t them.  My sister is convinced it is this west Africa group because of  how the bass is being sang, the second tenor is soo on point that I have to agree. We follow the sound now brisk walking (i mean running) and then I bump into a helper Adra booth who is also singing  “you’ve got to do right ooh give a light,” he smiles, I laugh and then decide that slowing down might prove beneficial in the crowded arena.

I arrive at the Adventist Mission stand and I’m dumbfounded it isn’t  the 7 ambassadors from the west African countries of Nigerian and Cameroon, neither is it the Argentinian quartet. It is 5 guys from South Korea jamming away and rocking out this popular acappella tune.

As I creep up to the front and start to take pictures, the feeling wells inside me. Grace. We are all connected by this song I wonder what  would  be the effect if we were connected by His love.  In less than ten  minutes I had encountered people singing two songs in three different  languages and the singers spanned five different countries Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea,  Jamaica and the USA. As I listened to the quartet from South Korea I prayed, Lord help us so that we not only sing the same songs but we have the same effect.  Lord wherever we all go let all those around us know that we are  Christians by our actions let our love shine through so that they may  see you.

His love unites so embrace it and proclaim His grace.

P.S. I don’t know the names of the groups because I was in a hurry, but if you do let me know because I really need to get their CDs.

To watch some of the proceedings at the 59th General Conference Session in Atlanta visit hopetv.org

Generations and nations gathered together in fellowship

Now I have to admit that brevity is not a virtue I possess so I will try and sum it up in short Grace Notes.

The theme of the 59th General Conference Session is Proclaiming His Grace.

Flavored.
Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, old, young, suspenders, suits, ties, long skirts, short skirts, curly hair, you name it. Adventists from all over the globe have descended upon Atlanta in the thousands and each day get a glimpse of places they will never visit and people they have never dreamed to meet.

Grace.
Last Saturday vespers were given by Dennis Meier, a German pastor with a ponytail  (wink wink) and one of the most memorable things he said was in order to proclaim grace we must first see it.  I have to admit that sometimes i get so busy planning and doing God’s  work that I fail to see His grace and instead focus on the blunders and sins of others.

Like any of the other General Conference Session there were minor conflicts and issues that have arisen but through it all God continues to lead His church.

So please deal with the typos  and lack of punctuation (i’m typing this all on my tiny iPod screen) and experience His  Grace at our General Conference Session in Atlanta

There is something fleeting about the summer days, regardless of how much you manage to pack in each day, at the end you still feel like something was left undone. Some book not read, or some trip not taken.

So in an effort to combat this we choose to chronicle this summer by staying the course, bringing our attention to our core issues that the sun and sand shove into the corner.

Each week this summer we’ll feature articles in two simultaneous series.  Back to the Basics will feature posts that focus on the core beliefs of Seventh-Day Adventist that sometimes get swept under the carpet.

There is so much we don’t talk about around the kitchen table. There is too much we don’t discuss in our churches or with our parents. Our second series, Unspeakables will raise the volume on sticky issues that sizzle in our minds yet remain unspoken.

So join us on this journey to dispel myth, confront dogmas, and explore the depths of our beliefs.

Picnic blanket, grapes, and a book.

Sandy ocean shores, a towel, sunglasses and a book.

Hood of car, sunset, mosquito repellent, blaring music and a book.

Choose the destination and accessories but there is something about the summer that just makes you want to find your favorite spot and read.  Before you hit the bookstores (or library if you are broke like me) check out the list below. Compiled by some of our authors these books with challenge, uplift, convict and hopefully ultimately draw you closer to the Author of all the seasons.

This list will continue to evolve and grow during the summer so feel free to send us your own favorites.

Spiritual Development

If My People Pray by Randy Maxwell: An Eleventh Hour Call to Prayer and Revival - great book about the power or prayer. We’ve been using it in our Wednesday night meetings for the past couple months.

In Step With God by Charles Stanley

Walking With God by John Eldridge: an intimate look at one man’s walk with God. This book reawakens within you the desire to hear God everyday.

The Power of Praying by Stormie Omartian: simple prayers that will reignite your prayer life and give you a new perspective as you start each day. This is also a wonderful gift for recent graduate.

Christ Object Lessons by Ellen White

Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis short 3 paged letters that strike at the core of what ails humanity and reveals some of Satan’s daily deceptions that we allow to blind our view on life.

Relationships

Letters to Young Lovers by E.G. White- compilation of letters and responses between Ellen White and young people considering marriage. It is an old book, but very insightful and definitely relevant.

Doctrinal Truth

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis - A classic. Everyone should read Lewis’ poignant and insightful treatise on the life of a Christian.

The Devil’s Delusion: Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions by David Berlinski - a really great read from a scientific mind debunking atheist rhetoric.

Health

Raw Juices Can Save your life! - Not conventional I know, but this is a guide to juicing with recipes on different natural juices that can help heal many common ailments. I cosign this one based on experience.

Life Portraits

Desire of Ages by E. G. White- Possibly the most beautiful portrait of the life of Christ. Get to know Jesus more intimately by reading this amazing account of His life and mission.

Messiah by Jerry D. Thomas - E.G. White classic book Desire of Ages translated in modern day English hits every note and places you right there in A.D 27. Beautiful

I Will Die Free by Noble Alexander- True story of a young adventist preacher in Cuba who remains faithful to God after being falsely accused, imprisoned and tortured for years.

Ministry

It’s About People by Jim Hohnberger– My leadership team read this book this year and it really helped us refocus on the important part of ministry – the people. The book is an easy and through provoking read that gives suggestions for how to take action.

Books of the Bible

The Book of James by James - All about living the Christian life. James encourages us to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.