My personal belief is that we need to worship 7 days a week, and we are to rest on the Sabbath. Some Churchs feel that even renting out Church on Sunday is an abomination.

Have you had people question your "Adventist Integrity" for leading out in a Sunday Service? is this something you do? Or have done in the Past?

Yes, there are SDAs who question my relationship to the SDA Church.

I have conducted regular Sunday services both as a military chaplain, in the past, and as a VA chaplain in the present.

The basic obligation that is laid upon me is to conduct a Suncay service that fits within the generally accepted standards of a Protestant service. In addition, I can say anything that I chose as long as I say in in a positive manner, and do not attack others. Within those limitations, no one can tell me what to preach. Those limitations do not apply if I call a service a SDA service. But, I am still required to conduct a so-called general Proetestant services.

The key to all of this is being positive. I have made it a practice to preach on Revelation 14:6-11 in every place where I have been assigned. I have been able to do that because I have never attacked any other church. I have simply preached from the Word, which does not mention the any other Church. That passage makes the folowing three statements:

a) God's eternal gospel, which has been preached from the beginning will be proclaimed in end time.

b) At the time of the end, much that is proclaimed as coming from God will be false.

c) People living in end time must distinguish between what is coming from God, and what is not, and then make a choice. They cannot put that decison off.

Folks, you do not have to preach against any denomination to say the above.

Dennis:

Thank you for comming back, reading these comments, and responding as you have done. While I may not agree with your position, your response has been appropriate for where you are. If you don't mind [How can you object, as I am doing it before I recieve your response? ] I will respond personally to you.

As I have posted in these theads I have been reminded again as to how God has led in my life. As I reflected on the events of God's leading I have come to realize that while we differ, you and I are alike in some ways that you are not aware of.

You have shared with us some of your spiritual journey, your college studies, your desire to work for God as a pastor, and your frustration (anger?) at how that seemingly has not come to pass. (Dennis, forgive me is I am not stating it exactly right, but, allow me to continue, please.)

I left college with a degree in Religion, and the door had seemingly been closed for my entry into the pastoral ministry of the SDA Church. I had a committment to work for God, but it was clear that things had come to a stop.

Well, I took a 4+ year detour. But, it was one that God knew I needed. During that time I spent 2+ years at the Seminary, cleaning toilets to obtain the MDiv. degree. For your see, I was not sponsored. As came close to graduation, I wrote to every Caucasion Conference in the United States, with one exception, and asked about pastoral employment. With one exception, all said NO. The President of the Patomic Conference agreed to hire me!

Under the denominational system in order to hire me, the college from which I graduated was aasked to recommend me for employment. They refused to recommend me. Four plus years had passed. I had put everything that I had into attempting to follow God's will, and I was dead in the water, so to speak.

At this point, God intervened. The decision of the Religion department faculty not to recommend me for employment in SDA pastoral ministry was changed. The circumstances are not important. But, I can assure you that it was not due to anything about me. I did not come from a family that had made large contributions to the SDA Chruch. I did not come from a family of SDA employees. I had no connections. God intervened. I needed that 4+ year detour because God had some lessons for me to learn.

Dennis, the lessons did not end there. My 4+ year detour were my responsibility, and not that of anyone else. There have been other areas in which God has had to work with me. But, the evidence is clear that God has taken me as I am, taught me some lessons, and placed me in the place where He has wanted me to be.

Yesterday, as I reflected on these post, I was struck with a thought: I needed to share with you, Dennis Wicklunds, what I have just shared with you. In order to do that, you would come back, respond to one of my posts, and when you did that I was to share this with you. So, I have done so.

Dennis, I think that God has some lessons to teach you. I think that there may be some detours that you need to take, so to speak. But, God has not given up on you. You may still reach your goal if you are willing to follow God's leading, and learn the lessons that God has to teach you.

Another comment: I have enjoyed my work as a SDA pastor of a local congregation more than any other position that I have held. But, God has led me in a slightly different direction. I have come to accpt that his leading has been best for me.

Dennis, some of us whom you may consider to be your enemies, do care for you, pray for you, want the best for you, and hope that you are able to fill God's plan for you.

Dennis, yes, I will comment on your post.

There are two fundamental issues involved in your comments, as I see them:

1) Is not spiritual truth progressive? Human beings cannot take everything all at once. God leads each of us little by little.

As an example, would it not be appropriate to bring a person to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour before attempting to work on them with the Sabbath truth?

I Feel that it is important, in the context where I work with people, to bring them to see the Revelation passage as I have described it before I go deeper into issues such as Babylon.

I work in a hospital. The average hospital stay is 3 - 4 days. People are dealing with significant health issues. I am not in a position where I can bring them to the place where I can talk them about the 10 horns in Daniel. That is not approprite in the relationship that I build with them in the limited time that I have with them. The best that I can do, and only if they give me permission, is to hold out to them that God is involved with their life, God has their best interest in His plans for them, and to encourage them to seek to know God better after they return to their homes.

Some leave this hospital with that committment.

2)Historic Adventistm: God always builds progressively on truth previously given. That progression does not revoke what has been priviously given, but it may add to it.

You know your SDA history. You know that our so-called health message came progressively. In the matter of diet, we were not given it all at once. Later understanding brought about changes which added to previous understanding, but did not revoke them.

On some other aspects of your post:

Yes, I fully understand that you would have problems working in the position that I work. At this point in time, I would not recommend you for such. I will only say that God will lead you, if you are willing to follow. God will place you where God wants you placed, if you are willing to go there. I do not claim to know where that is. That is between you and God.

All of us have spiritual lessons to learn. Knowing me, as I do, and reflecting on how God has lead in my past, I know that God still has lessons to teach me, and probably detours that I must take. That may well be your case. My prayer for you is that you will be willing to follow as God attempts to lead you.

Re: "Yesterday, as I reflected on these post, I was struck with a thought: I needed to share with you, Dennis Wicklunds, what I have just shared with you. In order to do that, you would come back, respond to one of my posts, and when you did that I was to share this with you. So, I have done so."

The above is a comment that I made in an earlier post. Let me expand on that:

I was strongly impressed, yesterday, that I needed to share what I have posted in that post with Dennis. But, I was not certain as to how I should do that.

I did not feel comfortable in attempting to send him a private message. I know some people who have a relationship with Dennis, and I considered sending my resosne to them, and asking them to forward it to Dennis. But, I ruled that out.

In another place, Dennis had essentially stated that he was leaving Club Adventist, and I understood that to mean that he would be unlikely to return.

So, I asked another person, who might know, if Dennis was still here reading, but now posting. I did not recieve an answer.

Then I felt a very strong impression: Dennis would return and read the responses that I was making in this interview section. He would post a public response to me in one of those posts. At that time, I was to publicly post the response that I have made to him, and he would return and read it. When Dennis posted a reesponse to me, I would know that I should respond to him as I have.

NOTE: I have felt that my personal comment regarding my detour would also be helpful to some others unknown to me.

Thank you for comming back and asking your question, Dennis. I expected you to do exactly that.