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Well, we have finished the race. Sharon ran with me, probably to be available to summon aid if I had heart attack. I did not! J That attached photo [If I can figure how to attach a photo.] is of both of us, taken after the race was over and in our running clothes. I have been in training for the past year and running on a treadmill. Generally I have done the 10K, on a treadmill in 80 – 90 minutes. Well, an actual race is much different. Running with 50,000 + people makes it different! Running, even on small hills of Boulder, makes it different. But, I finished the race in 92 minutes and 37 seconds, official time. So, I am overall pleased. However, based on today, I do not think it reasonable for me to attempt to run in the Boston Marathon, or any other marathon. Sharon slipped ahead of me at the finish line in an attempt to get a photo of me running at the end. So, she finished 2 seconds faster than I. She could have done it quicker, but she wanted to stay with me. Good. There is nothing like entering the stadium at the finish line and see multiple tens of thousands of people cheering you on. [NOTE: There were more than 50,000 others people running at the same time.) J Well, it is over. Thirty years ago I ran in a 5 K. Until now I had never run in any other race, and actually my performance was simply a brisk walk. But, for a 74 year-old man, I guess that is my limit. If you want to, you can look up the official results, they are now posted on the Internet. You can see where I placed over all among the 50,000+ as well as the official times. Google “bolderboulder” and go to the 2015 results icon. The code for me is <NB605>. For Sharon it is <NB606>. NOTE: Official photos taken of Sharon and I (during the race) will be posted on the Internet at a later time. Gregory Matthews

Hmmmmm.......not sure how to answer this.....the phrase "die well" is vague enough to avoid any sort of criminality [is that a word???]....Some see this as a way to express how they want to die...with family....some want to die without family, due to those same family dynamics.....Some want to be surrounded by friends.....others want to be left alone....some want to die for something, like maybe in a fight for some revolution or principle.....Some prefer something less controversial.... Some people die without any choice ....they just die....alone ...without friend or family....some die with doctors and nurses around them....some die with a "no code" status and a nurse administering pain medicines.....some people die in an alley, or some stinky place......alone...friendless..... I suspect that there are more people who die of a broken heart more than sickness....they have created broken dynamic relationships in family and in friendships and die regretting a 2nd chance to make something of this....people die from regrets......and/or shame..... You may be wondering how I will die.....I am not going to tell you......today....maybe even not at all......:-)

"Churches leaders and pastors, spend a lot of serious time crafting cleaver and deep answers to question no one is asking or interested in except them." Stan Jensen Now I will duck for cover

It's not that our people don't need to understand the deep-in-dept " words of the Bible" or that they lack the intellectual ability to understand the deep meanings. But most of the people I visit with need the messages which help them in their daily walk. Not just to start day with prayer and meditation, but HOW is this important? HOw is it going to help me get through the day? What good does it do me? How can I make it to Heaven when I have difficulties getting through the day? It is a current trend to dig deeper, to discover new meaning, etc. IMHO, it is important to teach and preach the message in a practical day-to-day message. If it can't help us in our daily life it really doesn't matter if we can fully explain the 2300 day prophecy.

​i don't think we have headship roles in the denomination. Jesus is the head of the body, we are members of the body of Christ according to the various Gifts God has given in the Church. Romans 12. Humble Service in the Body of Christ 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

And what we find in Judaism is rather than a laying on of hands is a permission to sit as the Rabbi's feet while the laymembers all stood and the speaking Rabbi sitting on some kind of a seat.

I had not picked up on that spelling. But, you are correct: Bolder Boulder. Like I say, I learn something every day. My store of wisdom is increasing. Of course, there is plenty of room for it to do so.

OK than, here comes a shoe.. LOL

Mankind was granted continued life (probation) BECAUSE God the Father and Christ had promised that the Son of God would become a human being, to be tested to the most extreme degree by Satan. THAT is God's grace. But that did NOT set every human being "just" or "right" before God. I don't see that continued physical life for the race called mankind, during which individuals would be tested (to see if they would respond to the spirit of God or resist), can be put in the same category with individuals being "set right" with God (justified), "by grace through faith". How many verses have we seen in this thread, that say salvation is "by grace through faith" ???? A couple dozen at least. Infants CANNOT believe or come to faith. Robert keeps saying that "all mankind" was "in Christ" as "His body" when He died on the cross. I would like to see a verse or two, saying just that. Because I posted 5 verses that say "the church" is "His body" and is regarded by God as having "died with Him" - by faith. Robert quotes verses out of context, and applies the statement to all of mankind, when the context clearly applies the statement ONLY to "the church" or to "those who have believed".

Thanks Stan. Pentecost blessings today! Concerning the divorce text, I heard a great lecture on that one. It seems that a man was to give his wife a "certificate of divorce" and "send her away" IF he was simply unsatisfied with her. But if she had committed adultery, and he did not want to have her stoned, then he would send her away quietly - without the "certificate". That is what Joseph thought to do with his betrothal to Mary. If a woman had been married (or betrothed), but did NOT HAVE a "certificate" - she was deemed guilty of adultery or some other great sin. That is what the words mean, "you make her an adulteress". Such a woman was regarded as un-marriageable.

I was saddened to hear that Elder Ron Halvorsen Sr has passed away. I never saw him in person, but I watched and listened to him many times on television. He just did an effort in Tennessee which was broadcast about a year ago. Because of that I was not aware he was that sick. I enjoyed his testimony about his days as a gang member and his miraculous transformation into a saint and a pillar of the church. He will be missed for sure.

With regard to the undue importance some are putting on the lack of evidence of the ritual of the laying on of hands to ordain EGW, I have sometimes pointed out that there is a similar lack of any evidence of that ceremony being performed at the appointment/ordination of many, if not most, of the early Adventist leaders and ministers. But another thought similarly came to my mind just recently. When Jesus appointed the twelve apostles, there is no mention of Jesus laying his hands on them when he did that. Nor is there any mention of him doing so when he sent out the 70. There is mention of him laying his hands on the sick when he healed them. And he layed his hands on the children when he blessed them. (Did he accidentally ordain them by placing his hands on them?)

What a wonderful man. He helped bring me to the lord through his sermons on TV. I will always be very grateful to him. Much love to you pastor Halvorson, Rest in Peace.

Powerful statements there. Speaking of true reality. I have wondered often how things are going with you.

Uniformity is quite the same as unison. Imagine all the great music of the world, your favorite music. What would it be if it could only be sung, performed in unison? By only one instrument, or one part by one voice? The difference to me between uniformity and unity is contrasting the above with unity as harmony in music. Many voices, many instruments, playing/singing different notes, even at different rhythm or timing. The music comes alive in a beauty of harmony. A well tuned and practiced orchestra or choir singing/performing different parts becomes one in perfect unity of harmonious music. That is unity.

Yes, it is amazing to see to what lengths some will go to avoid facing up to the facts.

Ours is not a religion bound up by rituals. We don't have a magic incantation that must be uttered flawlessly to open the door to our salvation. The undue emphasis on a ritual of hands makes it seem like we believe in magic hands as able to trump everything else, not just including a the act of the top officers of the GC, the highest authority of the Church under God, but the ability to stay the hand of God himself. That to me is nearly blasphemy. It is presuming to take God' authority, usurping it, as if what we do is more important than God's own act. I have shuddered at reading what some have said and written that most definitely places the act of man as over that of God. It is as if it really does not matter that EGW said that God Himself ordained her. Our ritual of magic hands is more important. And lacking any evidence of that ritual of laying human hands on someone's head means God's own clear calling of her and blessing of her ministry, all the other evidence of 32 years of records of the Church, and EGW's own testimony is made of none effect. Really!?!? Is that what you would have us believe!

And none of it has anything to do with her being recognized as an ordained minister by the Church and issued credentials confirming that recognition during her lifetime.

​Of the thousands of ordained ministers (18,000 plus or minus...) currently employed by the Adventist Church world wide, how many of them can "claim the position of leader of the denomination"? And how many of them are in a position of "authority"? Being a minister/pastor, ordained or otherwise is not about rulership and authority. Having a credential that says that one is an "ordained minister" does not confer upon that person "authority over men" nor qualify the person for a position of leadership. You are barking up the wrong tree. And so is the author of the article you cut and pasted here from Advindicate. Like I said, anything to minimize, denigrate, explain away and deny that EGW in her time was recognized by The General Conference (What was that other discussion about the authority of the GC...) as an ordained minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I don't need to embellish, interpret, insinuate, speculate or give any explanation. The intent of a credential is that it speaks for itself and is self-explanatory of that to which it certifies.

First of all, Adventists don't even understand or know their own theology when they begin chasing the Pope for ramping up ecumenicism and paving the road to the Sunday Law. E.G. White's scenario has been: 1) There will be a great time of worldwide turbulence both political and financial 2) Satan will fake the second coming, and will convince the world that he is Christ, and that Sunday is Sabbath I'm not sure as to what's the point to the drumming up the "animals are dying .... is a sign of the last days", because it's silly. A very definite sign of last days would be just that... a guy performing miracles claiming to be Jesus, and telling everyone to worship him on Sunday. That would be a definite sign of the last days. Anything short of that would be highly questionable when it comes to conspiratorial interpretation, and I simply wouldn't donate money to group that entirely depend on cranking out connections and signs that such last days are "soon", as these have been for the past 150 years. What drives me nuts is that there's a real potential wasted when it comes to the positive direction that the church can still take our society, and that actually does include environmental issues that can be addressed from bottom-up religiously. Instead, any message that caries some undertones of environmentalism is dubbed liberal and borderline satanist. It's extremely disturbing.

Yes, Bravus I must agree with your statement. There is no such thing as a good death, just a good life. To live our life(s) fully and as well as possible. I recently told my son & daughter-in-law that if I die tonight, I will have had a very good life ... and am looking forward to an even better eternal life. That IMHO is to die well

With dignity, peacefully.

Yes, I think that's it. There's in a sense no such thing as a good death, just a good life. Having lived fully and well...