Leaderboard

what bothers me most about this whole situation is the question in my mind of whether Roberts was truly the *best* person to be elected President of the SECC. Was she elected strictly on the basis of her background qualifications? Or was one of her electable qualities simply the fact that she was female? I know of quite a number of women who've received meritorious recognition and election over men who were just as (or more) qualified. I would venture to guess that there were other, more qualified males who would have done a good job as SECC President (this is not to say Roberts isn't doing a good job). It just makes me wonder why a conference would deliberately elect a woman president, knowing it would create an issue. I don't see the point, other than it makes a politicized social statement. Sure, women can do the job. And if a woman is the absolute *best* qualified to do a job, then, of course, she should do it. But was Roberts *really* the best choice? I dunno. Maybe. Maybe not. But she's no Rosa Parks. This isn't a civil rights issue.

It is the law: In the State of Sao Paulo, in the country of Brazil, October 22, a day well known in Adventist history, is now to be celebrated by its citizens as Adventist Day: https://spectrummagazine.org/article/2017/11/07/brazilian-state-sao-paulo-declares-october-22-“adventist-day”

It is not essential for us to be able to define just what the Holy Spirit is. Christ tells us that the Spirit is the Comforter, "the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father." It is plainly declared regarding the Holy Spirit that, in His work of guiding men into all truth, "He shall not speak of Himself." John 15:26; 16:13. {AA 51.3} The nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery. Men cannot explain it, because the Lord has not revealed it to them. Men having fanciful views may bring together passages of Scripture and put a human construction on them, but the acceptance of these views will not strengthen the church. Regarding such mysteries, which are too deep for human understanding, silence is golden. {AA 52.1} We can make 16 videos on a topic where silence is golden? Hm...

I learned yesterday, from my patent attorney, something I SHOULD HAVE had explained to me a year ago. Or I should have researched the whole patent infringement thing myself, until I understood. I AM blaming myself, but I'm also blaming my patent attorney. I thought that the patent holder could sue anyone who copied any part of his design. That's wrong. One can only sue for infringement, only IF the copier copies every claim of claim #1 (the summary) of the granted patent. This means that the Toaster Mate can be VERY EASILY pirated. Another company could make a toaster accessory that looked different, maybe had horizontal groves or didn't have the slots up through the lower section, or even looked like a waffle. I could not touch them. Hence the reason why no company would license or buy my patent. It's not worth much. A couple who owns a small ceramics business in Ft Worth, wants to make Toaster Mates. They will sell for $15 retail. She will pay me $00.50 for each one she sells, after the first six months. She wants to make them, and I hate to see the whole idea die. I'm sure - if the Toaster Mate is a success - some big company will have them made in China and flood the market, but for now Jill wants to make them, so I told her OK. I still believe the LORD is going to bless me through this process, but maybe not in the way I first imagined. I know that when all seems lost, that is when HE likes to act - just so we know that we had very little to do with the success. Abraham waited 15 years from the promise of a son, to the birth of Isaac. I must be patient. Rachel

I had gotten out of the military & I was living in Houston. I was living in a small three room house behind my grandparents. There was a big recession, I couldn't find a job. So I worked as a day laborer. I also joined church for the first time, the sda church. I would take the day off from time to time and ride the bus down to the state employment office. They would have job listings, or day labor assignments, but you had to get there early. If you showed up at 9 or 10am all the job listings for that day were gone. I would go back to working as a day laborer at the labor pool the next day. I developed a habit of sleeping with a pillow and or the covers pulled over my head. As if that would protect. me. I didn't believe in ghosts, but I knew angels and demons were real. My uncle, who introduced me and others to adventist doctrine, would tell me these stories about the unfore seen world of angels. He was a bit too zealous in telling these stories cause he would scare the heck out of me. That's why I pulled the cover over my head. I was a grown man in my 20s. I'm in my 60s now and I still sleep that way. One day I decided to sleep in. I had been working and searching for a month or so. I was sort of fed up with the process. It was still early, about 7am or so. It was too late to go to the employment office. You had to get there early. So I laid my head down sideways on my pillow and went to sleep. Suddenly this spirit being penetrated by mind, my brain. He did so in a manner that would not frighten me. I feel certain it was my guardian angel. The angel told me in an inaudible way, to get up and go to the employment office. I knew this was a message from God. So I got up and went. When I got there it was about 11am or so, much too late to get a good job assignment. The employment counselor told me about a job working as a courier for this successful real estate corporation. Job duties would include processing and delivering mail interoffice. Making bank deposits. Stock work, etc. He had already sent 80 to 100 people to interview for this job. I went to the company and interviewed with them. They told me they had talked to one hundred or so prospects. Of all those prosects I got the job. Before this I used to occasionally entertain thoughts that this whole God and religion stuff could possibly be not true. After that experience with the angel telling me to go look for that job that morning i knew for sure that it is all true. I'm convinced there is a God and a devil. There are angels. Heaven is real. The bible is true.