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Yes. the SDA denomlination whilch on some levels rejects women lin ministry has a co-folunder who is a female! [NOTE: On other levels of the SDA denomination women aare fully accepted in ministry. ] The public at large fails to understand this incostent reality. That is a valid point. Elen White was issued the credentials of an ordained minister, for a number of years. No, she did not pastor a SDA Church as she ministered to the denomlination as a whole. We have many men in administration who are considered clery and do not pastor SDA congregations.

The work of God on Earth is done by imperfect people. God accepts them as they are, capitalizes on their leadership and may address their areas of their weakness with changes in leadership personnel. Change is built in to the manner by which God works today in ministry. Change is a part of God’s plan. For about a month I have been considering whether or not I should initiate a change in the operation of club Adventist and I have reached a decision which I will explain in this post. Recently, I was sitting across a table of food. I looked toward my wife and I said: “I can see your head and hair, but I can not see your face. It is only one big black space!” This began 15-20 years ago when I was informed that I had a growth inside of one of my eyes that would have to be detached. That surgery was unique in that the surgical instruments inside of my eye were so small that the surgeon needed to use a microscope to see them. And I had to remain awake enough to be able to talk to him. The surgery was successful, but it left me with a scar on my retina. Presently I receive injections intro my eyes for Age-related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) and Geographic Atrophy (GA). These do not cure the e problem, they only delay the partial blindness that will eventually occur. I am now legally blind in one eye and I am presently losing my central vision in my other eye. Due TO my dcreasdl abililty to read and to use the computer I need TO s t TO STEP aside and Stan needs to appoint someone else to assume the duties that I have had. I wish them the very best. I may (?) continue to keep the power t hat I have had to e EDIT and correct my own posts. That remains to be decided. In loking over my past, I am especially thankful for the article that I wrote with g Gustave and Spectrum published. Check out the following if you wish to read that article: HTTPS://spectrummagazine.org/views/opinion/a-catholic-and-an-adventist-disagree-over-trinity-interpretations-yet-find-friendship-online/ My ministry has been unique in manly ways. To see another type of my ministry check oout the flowing article: https://spectrummagazine.org/views/i-was-adventist-chaplain-and-labor-union-representative/

The so-called Annual Coulncil is one pf two important meetings that are held by the General Conference each year. This 2026 meeting ended recently. In this thred provide you with links to information related to those meetings. The first set of links is kprovided by Spectrum. Annual Council–Friday–Focus on OneVoice27 and a Leader Resignation Over Korean Money Scandal Annual Council—Sunday—Membership Trends, Church Manual Concerns, and New VP Elected Annual Council 2026 – Monday: Church Finances Grow Despite Auditing Worries Annual Council 2026 – Tuesday and Wednesday: Newly-Elected NSD President and “Adventist Intelligence” Introduced To che ck on what Adventist Today might say about those lmeetilnggs see: https://atoday.org/

It’s estimated that 33 million people and 1 in 13 children in the United States have a food allergy, according to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE). Although any food can cause an allergy, the Food and Drug Administration suggests that nine foods account for 90%Trusted Source of allergic reactions. Like a tree nut allergy, peanut allergies are very common and can cause severe and potentially fatal allergic reactions. The two conditions are considered distinct because peanuts are legumes. However, up to 40% of people with peanut allergies are also allergic to at least one tree nut. It’s estimated that over 6.2 million people in the United States have a peanut allergy, according to FARE. It’s the most common allergy in people ages 18 years and younger. However, 20%Trusted Source of children who develop a peanut allergy may find it resolves as they move into their teenage years. A tree nut allergy is an allergy to some of the nuts and seeds that come from trees. It’s a common food allergy that may affect up to 3%Trusted Source of people worldwide. Some examples of tree nuts include: Brazil nuts almonds cashews macadamia nuts pistachios pine nuts walnuts An allergy to cow’s milk is one of the most common childhood allergies, affecting 2–3%Trusted Source of babies and toddlers. Around 90% of children will outgrow the condition by the time they’re 3 years old, making it much less common in adults. Allergic reactions to cow’s milk may occur within minutes of consuming milk or up to several hours later. The only treatment for a cow’s milk allergy is to avoid it altogether. This includes foods and drinks that contain cow’s milk, such as: milk powder cheese butter margarine yogurt cream ice cream An egg allergy is the second most commonTrusted Source cause of food allergy in children. However, 68% of children allergic to eggs outgrow their allergy by the age of 16 years. It’s possible to be allergic to egg whites but not the yolks, and vice versa. This is because the proteins in egg whites and egg yolks differ slightly. Like other allergies, the treatmentTrusted Source for an egg allergy is an egg-free diet. However, you may not have to avoid all egg-related foods. A 2019 study found that nearly 67%Trusted Source of children with an egg allergy could tolerate eating muffins containing a cooked egg component. Heating eggs may change the shape of the allergy-causing proteins, which could stop your body from seeing them as harmful. ResearchTrusted Source also suggests that introducing baked goods to children with an egg allergy can shorten the time it takes for them to outgrow the condition. However, the results are conflicting, and more data is needed to confirm this. Speak with a healthcare professional before eating egg-containing foods if you’re allergic to eggs, as the consequences of ingesting eggs when you’re allergic to them can be severe. A wheat allergy is an allergic response to one of the proteins found in wheat. It’s more common in children, but they’ll often outgrow it by age 10 yearsTrusted Source. Wheat allergies may cause symptoms similar to celiac disease and food intolerances like non-celiac gluten sensitivity. However, a wheat allergy causes an immune-mediated response to one of the hundreds of proteins found in wheat. Celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity are caused by an abnormal reaction to glutenTrusted Source, which is one specific protein that also happens to be found in wheat. Allergic reactions to protein can be severe and sometimes even fatal. Celiac disease may also be fatalTrusted Source if left undiagnosed, though this is rare as most can successfully avoid gluten. Soy allergies are triggered by a protein in soybeans or soybean-containing products. They affect up to 0.5% of children and are most commonly seen in infants and children under 3 years old. Around 70% of children eventually outgrow the allergy. Symptoms can range from an itchy, tingly mouth and runny nose to a rash and asthma or breathing difficulties. In rare cases, a soy allergy can also cause anaphylaxis. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-food-allergies#faq

🌾 Parting shot: Windswept wonder Photo: Marcia Kneisel Reader Marcia Kneisel of Littleton, N.C., captured this morning scene along North Carolina's Outer Banks — in the town of Kill Devil Hills during a brief fall getaway.

I did a lot of fasting before I believed in Jesus. A man named Arnold Ehret (1866-1922) wrote a book--Rational Fasting for Spiritual, Physical, and Mental Rejuvenation, and a couple of others. Steve Jobs was influenced toward veganism/vegetarianism through one of his books. Lost, without hope in the world, I decided to go on a fast. More than three weeks without food. During those days, Jesus revealed Himself to me while I was reading the New Testament. Another of my friends died after a 60 day fast. Another fasted for two weeks with no obvious harm. EGW thought the true fast was eating a healthy diet. Avoiding flesh foods, alcohol, tobacco, crank, junk, marijuana, downers, dairy and eggs from unhealthy sources, might also be included. She advocated a two meal a day plan, excluding an evening meal. The contemporary WFPB diet is a kind of fast, with good results. Health Food History

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The so=called lSabbth l School Qluaterly ils the published recommendation for SDA congregations to use in their Sabbath Schoool clases.. SDA Congregations are free to use other mteriL. Many do use other material, including non=SDA material.

Pornograkplhy I have recently beenadvised that the General Conference has a website which assists tlhe public in dealing with an addliction to pornography. Check it out if you think it might be of value to either you or so meone you know. https://gatewaytowholeness.com/

While there's been a LOT of "discussion" and quotes from "authorities" on other C/A threads about homosexuality being "learned behavior" vs. genetic, I've noticed that nobody has brought up the new research about Epi-genetics as being the major contributing factor via "epi-markers" in producing homosexuality. It dispels the conclusions of identical twin studies, where based on the fact that one of the twins is gay, homosexuality *must* be a learned behavior because identical twins have identical DNA/genes. Not necessarily the case... Quote: The search for a "gay gene" may be off-target, new research finds. Another process called epigenetics that switches genes on and off may explain why homosexuality runs in families. Epigenetics are heritable changes caused by factors other than DNA. Instead of traits getting passed down through the genes, epigenetic change happens because of the way genes are regulated, or turned on and off. These genetic regulators may be the reason homosexuality persists in nature despite the fact that gay people are less likely to reproduce, suggests the new study published in the journal The Quarterly Review of Biology. "These things have evolved because they're good for the parents, but they sometimes, not [with] high frequency, but sometimes carry over" into offspring, study researcher William Rice, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told LiveScience. In a male fetus, Rice and his colleagues write, an epigenetic change that benefited the mother may lead to "feminization" of sexual preference — homo- or bisexuality. The same may be true for epigenetic changes passed down by dad to a female fetus. (The terms feminization and masculinization of sexual preference refer to sexual orientation only — not to physical or personality traits of the offspring.) *snip* Rice and his colleagues focused on epi-marks, which are molecular changes that act like temporary "switches" to turn genes on and off. If a gene is a blueprint, the epi-mark is the construction foreman who makes sure the product gets built. An epi-mark also determines when, where and how much a gene is expressed, according to the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis. These molecular switches are usually erased very early in the developmental process, but they can be passed down from generation to generation, too, Rice said. Some epi-marks are particularly important during fetal development, when they promote normal physical development in the sexes despite natural variations in testosterone during pregnancy. Researchers know that fetal exposure to too much testosterone can masculinize the genitals, brain or behavior of a genetically female fetus. Likewise, too little testosterone can make a genetically male fetus more feminized. But here's the catch: There's lots of overlap between the levels of testosterone male and female fetuses get exposed to. That means there must be another side to the story, Rice and his colleagues wrote. That side appears to be epigenetics, Rice said. "Early in development, we think these epi-marks are laid down so that girl fetuses will be relatively insensitive to testosterone and male fetuses will be relatively sensitive to testosterone," Rice said. Biological behavior Thus, if an epi-mark that kept a mother from getting exposed to high testosterone in development gets passed on to her son — the opposite sex — it could desensitize him to testosterone, contributing to his sexual preference for men. Similarly, if a male-specific epi-mark from dad gets passed to a daughter, it could "masculinize" her sexual preference, making her more interested in women. These findings could explain why twin studies show that homosexuality runs in families, but no "gay gene" can be found, Rice said. In identical twins, there's about a 20 percent chance that if one twin is gay, the other will be too. If genetic change were responsible for homosexuality, you'd expect a much higher match, Rice said. Epigenetics, however, can explain the heritability without the need for a specific genetic change. source Quarterly Review of Biology Report, Vol 87, No. 4, December 2012

Thanks... and I would like to see what John317 thinks of this research, as well. It's such an interesting new finding. And it explains so much. But, likely, this topic will be squelched by the voluminous frantic postings elsewhere on the forum.. kind of a shame, really...

Gordon Pifher, former vice president for media ministries for the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists (NAD), passed to his rest early Friday morning, October 9, 2026, after a brief illness. He was 79. Pifher spent more than 50 years in ministry in the Adventist Church, serving as a pastor, youth director, and administrator before retiring in October 2021 after seven years at the NAD. “Gordon was a tremendous colleague in ministry. He was a trailblazer for the NAD in that he was the first vice president for media after closing the Adventist Media Center in Thousand Oaks, California,” said G. Alexander Bryant, NAD president. “He was not only a colleague but a friend and a true Christian leader. We will miss him and look forward to seeing him again in the heaven and earth made new.” “Gordon was an amazing person and an extraordinary leader who was passionate about his Savior Jesus and able to make his faith in God attractive to others,” said David Jamieson, president of Upper Columbia Conference. Pifher was born and raised in Paris, Ontario, Canada, and began his denominational service in 1969 as a conference-sponsored seminary student in the Maritime Conference, where he later served as a pastor and assisted with evangelism. In December 1975, he moved to Ontario Conference, where his assignments included serving as associate pastor at Oshawa College Park Church in Ontario, chaplain for Kingsway College, and lead pastor at Bowmanville Church. Pifher then worked at Ontario Conference as youth director, helping develop Pathfinder and Adventurer youth and camp ministries until 1985. From 1979 to 1985, Pifher also directed Camp Frenda, where campers knew him as “GP.” His campfire stories, sometimes unfolding over several evenings, were a memorable part of camp life. He encouraged campers and staff to dedicate their lives to serving God and others. Pifher’s connection with the camp continued into retirement: In 2025, he returned for its staff alumni weekend, sharing a Sabbath message and offering a prayer of dedication for Pifher Point, a planned lookout tower and climbing wall named in his honor. He left the Ontario Conference in October 1985, moving to the Upper Columbia Conference (UCC), headquartered in Spokane, Washington, where he served as director of youth and Camp MiVoden for the conference before moving, in 1994, to what was then Walla Walla College Church as associate pastor for youth. From 1996 to 2005, Pifher served as the vice president for administration for UCC. In 2005, he was elected president of British Columbia Conference. Under his leadership, British Columbia became one of the fastest-growing conferences in North America. In 2011, Pifher accepted an invitation from the North Pacific Union Conference to serve as director of stewardship, leadership, and innovation. He began that assignment in January 2011. In October 2014, he was elected vice president for media ministries at the North American Division. There, Pifher was responsible for developing and implementing a media ministry strategy for all such ministries across a territory that included the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Guam, and Micronesia. As part of his work as NAD vice president, he served as president of Breath of Life, Faith for Today, It Is Written, Voice of Prophecy, La Voz de la Esperanza, Jesus 101, and LifeTalk Radio. Pifher joined the division during a significant transition for its media ministries as they relocated from the Adventist Media Center in Simi Valley, California, to different locations across the division. At his retirement celebration in May 2021, colleagues recalled his optimism, willingness to listen, and ability to encourage creative thinking through the changes. “Your passion for Jesus is infectious. It makes walking with Jesus attractive,” said Richard Parker, then human resources director for the media center, during the retirement tribute. After his retirement in 2021, Pifher and his wife, Marie, returned to the Northwest to be closer to their daughter Ginger. Pifher served on several boards in Upper Columbia Conference, including Renew Spokane and Shine 104.9 FM. He was an active member at Spokane South Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church before his passing. Pifher is survived by wife Marie and daughter Ginger. A celebration of life service has been scheduled for 2 p.m. PT on November 15, 2026, at Spokane Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church in Spokane Valley, Washington. The service will be live-streamed on the church’s YouTube channel. —Article by Dustin R. Jones for the Upper Columbia Conference, with additional reporting from Ontario Conference and the North American Division Office of Communication.

Pyung Duk “P. D.” Chun, first president of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) and longtime leader of the Church in Asia, passed away on October 3 at the age of 90. He devoted more than four decades of his life to the Seventh-day Adventist mission. Chun was born on October 10, 1936, in Hongseong, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. He began denominational service in 1960 as a teacher at Gwangsi Sahmyook Middle School and later served as a pastor and departmental director. He was ordained to the gospel ministry on January 1, 1966. Chun continued his education in the Philippines at the Adventist Institute of Advanced Studies, where he earned a master's degree in religion. After returning to Korea, he served as Education and Health director for the Korean Union Conference. He later served in leadership at the Korean Publishing House, commonly known as Sijosa. In 1982, Chun was elected president of the West Central Korean Conference. He was elected president of the Korean Union Conference in December 1983. After being elected secretary of the Far Eastern Division in 1988, Chun was elected its president in November 1992. As president, Chun led the Church through a historic period of organizational transition in Asia, during which the Far Eastern Division became the Asia-Pacific Division, later divided into the NSD and the Southern Asia-Pacific Division. Chun was the last president of the Far Eastern Division, the first and only president of the Asia-Pacific Division, and the first president of the NSD. His years as a division leader coincided with the growth of the 1,000 Missionary Movement, which mobilized young Adventists for cross-cultural missionary service. He also helped nurture the Pioneer Mission Movement and served as the first chair of its Management Committee. [ A fantastic organization ] Chun retired from full-time denominational service on July 1, 2003. His service continued beyond retirement through contributions to the Adventist Review magazine, where he served as its international publishing manager. Chun is survived by his wife, Yoon Hee Kim; his son, Kyung Bae Chun; his daughters, Eun Sil Chun and Eun Kyung Chun; and their extended families. Photo: Northern Asia-Pacific Division https://adventist.news/news/first-president-of-northern-asia-pacific-division-dies-at-90 NSD representatives stated that they will remember Chun with gratitude as a leader devoted to advancing the gospel.

Mike Ditka, the quintessential Chicago Bear and a Pro Football Hall of Famer, dies at 86 CHICAGO (AP) — Mike Ditka, who personified the toughness and grit of Chicago in a Hall of Fame career as a player and coach of the Bears and the leader of arguably the most dominant team in NFL history, has died. He was 86. https://apnews.com/article/mike-ditka-dies-bears-74ce49079f324ca0a9fa8e61857783fb

France is burning once again. The post France Is Burning Again. Why? <label class="rltv-edition-check-wrap" onclick="event.stopPropagation();" title="Add to 5-Story Mini-Newspaper"><input type="checkbox" class="rltv-story-checkbox" data-id="170511630" data-title="France Is Burning Again. Why?" /><span>+ Edition</span></label> appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article