Life & Death of a Club Adventist Member

[LifeHiscost]

May 12, 2015

The Preface, which I wrote, and an introduction, written by an AT Editor will be posted this week.. Following that, a chapter will be posted each week.

 

I will keep you-all informed.

 

 

​

God is Love!  Jesus saves! 

[Gregory Matthews]

Life, I acknowledge that you imply that you may have been hasty in a comment that you made.  But, you have raised a valid issue, to which I will respond.

In my thinking, the focus is on the efforts that God makes to redeem  individuals deep in the world of sin. It is not on the   mistakes of humans who interacted with her.  It also presents good things about people.

Yes, it also presents people, other than her, who sinned.  But,  some of those responded to the grace of God and repented.  Do you need to know the names(s) of:

1) The woman who was a mistress of the husband of the woman in the story?

2) Her husband who left her to participate in an active homosexual life?

3) The  men who fathered children by her and to whom she was not married?

4) The husband who had an inappropriate relationship with another woman while married to her?

5) The name of the person who publicly informed her that she was eternally lost?

6) The husband who fathered two children by other women while married to her?

Life, I could list more.  But, I think that I have  made my point.  My list above includes people who repented of their sins.  The grace of God reached people who were involved in sin as much as the woman who was the center of the story.  Years after they sinned, I do not believe that their sins need to be brought back into public view.  I assume that you agree with me.

As a member of Club Adventist, she posted here under a penname.  Many of  our members will recognize her.  Some of those interacted with her while she was a member here and they probably know her real name, as do I.  That was her choice to share with them.  But, I want to protect people and respect her wishes which was to focus on the grace of God and not on individual sin. 

If you chose to read.  Enjoy the humor that occasionally comes--stranded in Germany with no way to get home and hungry, she puts the little bit of money in a slot machine and she has enough to eat a meal.

There is a second issue that I want considered as people read the material:  How do we treat people who are on a journey back to God and the SDA Church? 

1) At the time of her death, her doctrinal belief as to what happens to a person when they die was not fully in accord with standard SDA belief.

2) At the time of her death, her practice of keeping the Sabbath was not fully in accord with what some people thought it should be.

How should we treat people who once knew the faith, so to speak, left it, are on a spiritual journey back, but have not returned all of the way?

If people reading her story can deal with that issue, I will have accomplished one of my objectives.

Life, again I acknowledge that you have said that you may have been hasty.  But, thank you for allowing me to respond to what was a valid question that you asked.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2015 by Gregory Matthews

[Gregory Matthews]

By the way, the AT editor and I have seriously considered what should be published and what should not.  Generally we have agreed to publish as the woman wrote it. But, we have also agreed that we did not need to publish every detail known to us.

 

 

Edited May 13, 2015 by Gregory Matthews

[Gregory Matthews]

Let me add a couple of things to add:

1)  Imagine you are an 18 year-old female.  You have a new husband.  You learn that he has a mistress!   What would you do?  How would you handle it?  Would all of your decisions be the most appropriate?

2)  Susan (A penname I have used.) has been convicted that she is a great sinner.  She knows that she has rebelled against prior knowledge.  She is convinced that she has gone so far that she lies outside of the salvation of God.  So, she might as well enjoy whatever life this world has to offer as that is the only pleasure that she will ever experience.  This is the story of how she came to understand that  God's grace was available to her.  She was not outside of it.

3) Susan is on her journey back to God.  Now she has been challenged..  She is on the floor of her bathroom.   With tears falling she is crying out to God to provide her with an answer. That answer comes!  

This is the story of a spiritual journey of a very human person.  It is a testimony of the power of God to restore and to heal.  But, it is not a story of perfection and everything working out all right. 

[Inga]

Gregory, I see that Part 2 of the story was published mid-February, but I can't find anything published since then. I thought you said there were to be monthly instalments?

[Gregory Matthews]

Inga:

The two (2) parts that were published were a sermon that I preach in churches.

Susan (My penname.)  also wrote a 26 chapter autobiography which she charged me to get published.  In the beginning, I thought that that the story that she wrote would immediately follow the publication of my 2-part sermon.  That did not happen.  Hospitalization of the AT editor working on it was one aspect.  In addition there were other factors that needed to be accomplished--digitalization of Susan's manuscript, was one of them.   Then the digitalized manuscript had to be edited.

 

I was than asked to write a preface which I have  done.  The AT Editor has written an introduction.  I have been dealing with minor issues today that I have been asked to clarify.

 

In any case, the AT Editor working on it has informed me that my preface and her introduction will be posted this week, as long as nothing else comes up.  That will be followed by weekly publications of
Susan's material.

 

There have been some other issues that we have faced.  Nothing bad.  They have simply arisen and we have dwelt with them.

 

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

Some people have wanted to know if Club Adventist is a part of this story.

In the manuscript, as Susan wrote it,  Club Adventist is not named.  However it is mentioned.  The AT editor is clearly aware the it is CA.  I will assume that CA will not be specifically named.

You will note, that once AT places it on its website, people will be allowed to post comments.  So it is possible that someone will post naming CA.

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

As Adventist Today  began posting, today, this story.  I suggest that you  continue to read, and post, in the new thread.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Gregory Matthews

[LifeHiscost]

By the way, the AT editor and I have seriously considered what should be published and what should not.  Generally we have agreed to publish as the woman wrote it. But, we have also agreed that we did not need to publish every detail known to us.

 

 

​The original reason why I made the comment on the revealing of individuals is because I felt to hide their sins as individuals would seem to be in keeping with hiding the institutions to which they belong. While the Word specifically reveals His peoples failures congregationally, He also reveals the names of those who brought much disrepute upon the body of believers. I noticed on one of your followups, you pursued that principle, to me important that it be made clear when an organization is seen as weak somewhere, that does not mean all members of the organization have succumbed to that particular weakness. Of course that would seem to be important, working in both directions, evidenced in this Biblical principle.

24Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. 27“The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

28“‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

29“‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”......Matthew 13

God is Love!  Jesus saves! 

.

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

Life, let me give you a couple of examples of what I mean when I say that we have not published every detail:

1)  She was married to five different men.  She divorced one of them when he came out of the closet, so to speak and practiced an active homosexual life style.  That person has died.  We see no reason to identify that person.  There is nothing to be gained from such. 

2)  She was not married to every man who fathered a child by her.    One of these men is assumed to have repented and become an active lay member of a SDA congregation.  I see no reason to identify either his name or the name of the congregation to which he became an active lay member.

3) I state that some of the failures and mistakes were made by her and others were made by congregational members who thought that they were doing right.  I may identify those congregational failures because I believe that there are lessons to be learned as to how our congregations treat people who are on a spiritual journey.  But, I do not identify the specific congregations as I believe that there is nothing to be gained from doing so.  The congregational mistakes were made years ago and not by present members.

[Gregory Matthews]

I find it incongruous that all individuals identities are hidden while the church is made to appear as if all Adventists willingly take part in sadly lacking Christian behavior.

 

Stick with it.  I also mention very good behavior.

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

Some people have been confused by a reference to a previously posted, 2-part, summation of her life. l To clear that up, you can access that at:

 

http://atoday.org/welcome-home-maybe-part-one.html

https://atoday.org/welcome-home-maybe-part-two.html

October 8, 2020

Some of the AT links are no longer working.

I have posted AT links today that are working.  To view those links, please read my post dated today on page 2 of this thread.

 

GM

 

[Gregory Matthews]

The beginning episode has been posted on the Adventist  Today website.  You may access it at: https://atoday.org/nothing-in-my-hands.html

NOTE:  The editor of AT has put a lot of work in on this.  If you appreciate it, let her know.

It is being published under the title of:  Nothing In My Hands.

 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2015 by Gregory Matthews

[Gregory Matthews]

Nothing In MY Hands, Part 2 is now up on the AT Website.

[Gregory Matthews]

The 3rd chapter of her life was posted today.   This begins with some the the issues that she faced as a 17/18 year-old woman.   

[Gregory Matthews]

Chapter 5 is now posted on the website.

 

 

Edited September 23, 2015 by Gregory Matthews

[Gregory Matthews]

Yes, many people know who she is.

I think  that there is a story to be told.  I would like to see it published as a book.  But, the Lord will have to open up a way for that to be done.

To me her story illustrates:  1) The extent to which God will work to bring to salvation a person.  2)  No one is beyond salvation.

 

[Gregory Matthews]

When AT first began to post her story, it was in a "free" section of the AT website.

Later in some reorganization that was going on, it was moved to a section where people were required to pay an annual fee of $10 in order to access.

AT has moved her story back to the free section.  While AT is needing to recover from the expenses of covering the July General Conference, and people are encourage to contribute, all can now read her story without paying the $10 fee.

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

The final chapter of the story of the spiritual journey of this one-time member of Club Adventist has been posted on the Adventist Today website.

You can read it at:

http://atoday.org/nothing-in-my-hands-chapter-27-finale.html

 

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

My shortened version has been published multiple times.  The version written by the woman who lived the story has been published on the Internet by Adventist Today over a 10 - 12 week period of time, as I recall.  I believe that the links to the AT publication are listed here in this forum.  It has not been published in book forum, due  to the fact that the estimated   costs of publishing in in book forum ranged from $1,500 to $3,000 as I recall.  In part this was due to the level of editorial work needed for publication.  It seems that you are correct and that none of the links work on the Adventist Today website.  The AT Editor who published  it on their website is no  longer serving in that position.

 

[Daryl]

Just reading this now another two years later and am disappointed to see that what AT published is no longer available.

I am wondering if I knew that person via CA?  Not asking for a name, but just wondering.

[Gregory Matthews]

Daryl:

The story of that woman has been published in Adventist today in a 2-part  summation of her life that I wrote and in a 27 part series that she wrote herself.  NOTE:  The 27 part series was edited by Debbonnaire Kovacs.

That woman posted in Club Adventist under the pen name of Del Star, which was not her true name.

The 2-part summation that I wrote  is still available on Adventist Today.  The following links will recover those two parts and some additional information.

https://atoday.org/?s=Welcome+HOme+Maybe

https://atoday.org/welcome-home-maybe-part-one/

https://atoday.org/welcome-home-maybe-part-two/

If I can recover the 27-part story, I will post them in this thread.

 

https://atoday.org/page/2/?s=NOthing+in+my+Hands+chapter+2  Contains links to chapters 1 & 2, plus other links to other articles.

 

https://atoday.org/page/2/?s=NOthing+in+my+hands   Chapters 3 – 15

 

https://atoday.org/?s=NOthing+in+my+hands  Chapters 16 – 27

 

 

 

[Daryl]

Thank you for those links.

I do remember her under the pen name of Del Star.

[Gregory Matthews]

And thank you.   I am glad that I was able to find the links.

 

[B/W Photodude]

16 hours ago, Gregory Matthews said:

https://atoday.org/page/2/?s=NOthing+in+my+Hands+chapter+2

Chapters 4,7,8,9 are missing

16 hours ago, Gregory Matthews said:

https://atoday.org/page/2/?s=NOthing+in+my+hands   Chapters 3 – 15

Chapter 7 is missing