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To Chaplain / Pastor Matthews credit I no longer make the claim that SDA's are anti-Trinitarian. I now believe that there are indeed some SDA's who hold and promulgate the historic doctrine of the Trinity. I am fairly certain that while Ellen White started out as a Trinitarian she became a militant anti-Trinitarian and remained so until her death. Most of the research I've done is related to the Trinity issue. For some reason that's always been of interest to me.

That's absolutely false, Gustave. Kellogg's issue was pantheism. If you read the first chapter of Living Temple, it is very obvious what is intended by the term pantheism. It's God being manifested throughout nature, which is what Kellogg was saying in Living Temple. Probably the entire issue can be understood with a simple quote: Living Temple, page 28 God in nature, not outside of it. When you refer to the Sabbath Herald, do you mean the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald?

The following link takes you to a thoughtful reflection on a recent Supreme Court decision. It is well worth consideration. https://atoday.org/praying-at-the-50-yard-line/ The following is just one of the issues that this decision raises: [How would they feel about Muslim teachers leading prayer to Allah in the classroom or at school-sponsored events? Or Hindu prayer? Or a Wiccan teacher leading prayer, or new age prayer with crystals and tarot readings? How about atheist/agnostic students who would be marginalized and singled out by such majority practice in the classroom? [/quote]

Thought for today; A couple living in San Francisco was fined $1,500 for parking their car in their own driveway. The fine was retracted when they submitted proof that in 1938 a horse and buggy had parked in that driveway. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/san-francisco-couple-allowed-to-use-driveway-after-being-fined-1-500/ar-AAZv4gB?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=4846f5ad7b634e63a30c7fb456f29d6e

For a heart-=warming 3+ minute video of a wild-animal rescue, see:

So what she wrote was misunderstood by others. Not unusual in her day or even now. "As I've already demonstrated here in the forum Ellen White believed that God (the Father only) had a body of FLESH, complete with all the organs, members and parts of a perfect man. This "pillar doctrine" was called "THE PERSONALITY OF GOD". This is what interests me, that EGW or early SDA believed that the Father had a body of flesh, complete with organs. I was unaware of the statement that included the personality of God with the pillars or landmarks. The statement you quoted was written in 1903, most likely referencing Kellogg's book, "Living Temple." The issue with "Living Temple" was pantheism. We are discussing 2 separate issues here, amalgamation and the personality of God. The amalgamation statements are a non issue for me. What others believed she said or meant only indicates that her editors might have done a better job. I'd have to read "Living Temple" get up to speed on the personality of God issue; however, the issue with that book was pantheism, not whether God had a human body. That's what interested me, EGW statements affirming that the Father had a human body of flesh with organs, etc.

(N) Galatians 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

I am almost speechless over the following litigation: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/her-ex-husband-is-suing-a-clinic-over-the-abortion-she-had-four-years-ago/ar-AAZCEcw?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=ee62dc21f36b478fa12903cb2dcb12a9

For those of you who would like to participate in an 11-minute guided mediation on Psalm 1, click on the following link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmNpzbfBnV8

For a new look at music in the Adventist Church, see: https://spectrummagazine.org/arts-essays/2022/swing-lo-dont-swing-too-hard

The recent General Conference suggested that evangelism should be the central focus of our denominational life. The following link takes you to an 84 page study of evangelism in the United States that was conducted by the Baptists (April 2022). It contains much food for thought. https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Evangelism-Explosion-Survey-of-American-Christians-Report.pdf

(N) John 17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it : that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Alcohol does render some people incapable of love. They may go to work, drive a car do most of the things that "normal" people do; nevertheless, they remain emotionally absent from their family members. The family dynamic is so damaging that AA has a special group for adults who grew up with an alcoholic parent--Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA). Most alcoholics require an enabler, called by AA a co-dependent. These are individuals who help the alcoholic negotiate difficulties associated with alcoholism. It's often a spouse. They perform simple services for the alcoholic such as cleaning them up after they pass out and vomit all over themselves, miss work, get arrested, etc. Since alcoholism also impacts ambition, they might actually support the family financially, if the husband/father is too impaired to better himself. An acquaintance of mine's father was an alcoholic. His wife[my friend's mother] followed the advice of AA and refused to enable him. She left him while he was having an affair. My friend prayed and prayed for his parents. Amazingly, his Dad stopped drinking, his Mother forgave his adultery, and they resumed their marriage. Quite amazing, really. One evening, I saw a university student, drunk, throwing up in a gutter, while his girlfriend hovered over him. A few days later I relayed the event to my students, mostly young women, and advised them to dump their boyfriend if the boy liked drinking. Feeling sorry, trying to help, misplaced loyalty is all part of the co-dependent dynamic. Marrying a narcissistic substance abuser [alcohol] isn't advised.

FOCUS ON GOD "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”--Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) "You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”--Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV) In our prayers for ourselves and others our focus is to be on knowing God, experiencing His reality, rather than on problems, diseases, or something else in the realm of the material. In the presence of God human all needs are met and we are fulfilled at the deepest level. Our own understanding of our greatest need is often obscured by our immediate needs but in communion with God we begin to see His understanding of us and our situation. When we depend on human understanding we are limiting in our experience what God ALONE can do. “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” is indeed to be our watchword (Exodus 14:13). I invite you to join or follow this Facebook group SPIRITUAL JOURNEY ENCOURAGEMENT. The purpose of this group is to uplift and encourage everyone to draw closer to God and to love others more.You’ll see most of my recent posts there: https://www.facebook.com/groups/265097276928878

(N) above and not beneath Deuteronomy 28:13 And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them :

Some may ask how the James Webb telescope is better than the Hubble telescope. To respond one must use the terminology that is commonly used for dating the cosmos. * The Hubble telescope was limited to only use the optical wavelengths, while the James Webb is also able to also use the infrared wavelengths in addition to the optical wavelengths. * The Hubble telescope is able to see back in time to a point about 13.4 billion years ago, which is believed to be after the start of the formation of the Universe. * The James Webb telescope is able to see back in time to a point about 13.8 billion years ago, which is believed to be the origin of the formation of the universe, which is believed to have occurred about 200 million years after Planck Density which is the point at which things started. * This is considered to be a phenomenal increase in ability to observe the formation of the universe. * It should be noted that science tells us that in human terms there is a limit to what we can ever observe about the universe. This limit is called the Cosmological Horizon. On the human scale we will never be able to observe beyond that limit which is believed to have a radius of 45 billion light years. Mathematical equations may propose what exists beyond that point. but, in human terms no observation beyond that point will ever occur. * The significance to me is that this reminds us of our human limits and it tells me that we cannot even begin to understand God and what we may be able to learn in that eternity that God has in store for us.

(N) Given treasure ? Deuteronomy 28:12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

In 2001, a study was conducted by the North American Division in an attempt to determine what constitutes a healthy church. Some 300,000 plus members of some 50 denominations participated in the survey. Involved in this survey were 5,596 members of 94 SDA congregations. The results of that survey have been published in the following book which is available from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Adventist-Congregations-Today-Evidence-Equipping/dp/0971026424 Oak and Acorn Publishing, which is owned by the Pacific Union Conference will soon release the book "Ministry to the Least of These." This book, I expect, will further develop Issues related to the above cited study. This coming book as well as the above one may be books that you will want to add to your library. NOTE: Some of the above information was obtained from a Leon Brown article, "Perception is Not Always Reality: Our Church as a Moral Beacon." which was published in the July issue of Pacific Union Recorder. This article is of great value and I hope to soon be able to cite it on the Internet for your reference.

(N) Blessings flow Deuteronomy 28:11 And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

(N) No lack ? Psalm 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.

‘I worry about this place’: A day in Ukraine’s Donetsk POKROVSK, Ukraine (AP) — On the morning of Day 142 of the war in Ukraine, the mayor of a community slipping closer to the front line stands in sneakers and blazer near the newest soldier’s grave. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-donetsk-390a173031f8f42df97ea788ccc0b12a?

July 11, 2022, 9:20 AM The South Yosemite fire has placed the Wawona SDA Summer Camp in danger, As a result, All personnel have been evacuated from the Camp. But, it has not yet burned. Gregory Matthews