May 2017 Signs of the Times Newsletter

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May Signs of the Times Email Newsletter The Signs of the Times newsletter is a collection of stories and quotes from past issues ofSigns and These Times. ***************************      Pastor Robert Schuller of Garden Grove, California, world-renowned evangelist, visited 14 cities in one week to promote one of his books. This in addition to other responsibilities which had to travel with him. Then his office advised that when he got home he was scheduled for a luncheon with the winner of a charity raffle. Raffle tickets had been auctioned off for “a lunch with Robert Schuller.”      He hurried home, prepared to squeeze the luncheon into his crowded schedule, then learned that one person had bid $500 to have lunch with him. Dr. Schuller was suddenly sobered.      He happened to know that $500 represented that individual’s entire savings.      And the girl willing to bid her entire savings to have lunch with him was his own school-age daughter.—By Paul Harvey, Signs of the Times, August 1987. Quote: “One can’t enjoy religion if he hasn’t any to enjoy.”—Charles G. Bellah, Signs of the Times, February 17, 1931. *************************** Don't miss the ­­­­­­­­June issue of Signs of the Times: To order Signs, call: 1-800-765-6955 orCLICK HERE to order online. ***************************      Do you know the story of George Romanes, the English scientist, one of the great men of his day at Oxford?      He lost his faith, and in the depths of his disbelief he wrote: “When I think, as at times I must, of the hallowed glory of that creed which once was mine and then of the loneliness and barrenness of life as I now find it—at such times I feel the sharpest pang of which my nature is susceptible.”      He came back to faith and curiously enough came back through his own suffering. Blindness covered his eyes, but light flooded his heart.—By Charles Fiske, These Times, February 1959. Quote: “There’s an ideal height for a backyard fence: Just high enough to keep the dogs out but low enough to shake hands over.”—By Burton Hillis, These Times, November 1964. *************************** NEW from Pacific Press—A. G. Daniells by Benjamin McArthur. At the turn of the twentieth century, A. G. Daniells was elected president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Decisions made, precedents set, budgets allocated, personnel appointed, and goals envisioned over the next two decades with Daniells at the helm created the modern Adventist Church. CLICK HERE to read the first chapter of this book online for free. Order ONLINE or from your local Adventist Book Center--1-800-765-6955. ***************************      The humpback whale is one of the most majestic creatures on the earth. It is massive in size and amazing in its beauty. It is almost unimaginable that an animal that is sixteen meters long, weighing more than thirty tons can breach the water fully in display of its magnificent power. This mammal has a heart that weighs more than four hundred pounds, and during the feeding season, it eats more than two tons of plankton, krill, and other small fish every day. You can find whale watching tours all over the world. The north, east, and west coasts of Canada offer ample opportunity to see these grand creatures.      On December 3, 2012, Captain Jerry Smyth, of Aquaventures Dive Center in Baltimore West Cork, Ireland, led a group of people on tour to see this king of the sea. They were aboard the Wave Chieftain pursuing a humpback whale. As the boat stopped, all the people were directed to look to the starboard side of the ship. They watched for the footprint left by the whale, and waited for the whale to surface. But then, in his now-famous picture, photographer Simon Duggan captured a humpback whale breaching—but everyone on the Wave Chieftain had their backs to the action. They were in the right place—but they looked the wrong way.      Friends, as we watch for Jesus’ soon return, are we watching in the right direction? Do we know how Jesus will return? Or are we looking in all the wrong places?—By Chris Holland, Hope for a Helpless Planet. (This is an EXCELLENT book to share with friends! Filled with hope and inspiration. To order, CLICK HERE.) Quote:  “The saintliest are always the humblest. Growth in holiness can be measured by the acuteness of the consciousness of remaining sinfulness. The more our prayers for enlightenment are answered, the more our deep sinfulness comes into view.”—By G. H. Knight, Signs of the Times, January 15, 1929. *************************** Please place in your church bulletin or newsletter: Send a GIFT that helps your friends and neighbors find hope and meaning in these momentous times. Each month Signs of the Times® takes on a broken world and directs hearts to Jesus for relevant answers. The result is changed lives! Order from your Adventist Book Center. To order call: 1-800-765-6955 or online at: http://www.adventistbookcenter.com/signs-of-the-times-magazine-yearly-us-subscription.html ***************************      At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Michelangelo was the number one artist in Italy and under contract with Pope Julius to sculpt the pope’s tomb. When the massive structure was only partially completed, two rival artists, Bramante and Raphael, persuaded the pope that it would be bad luck to have his tomb finished while he was still alive. They suggested Michelangelo be assigned to paint the ceiling of a chapel the pope had built. Since Michelangelo had no experience in this type of painting, they hoped his reputation would suffer.      After much protest, Michelangelo began painting. Five years later the Sistine Chapel ceiling was completed, and his status as the greatest living artist was secure.      Although we may think we know what we want to do in life, God may have an even better plan in store for us.—From Steps to Christ Youth Edition. Quote: “Jesus knows us individually, and is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He knows us all by name. He knows the very house in which we live, the name of each occupant.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 479. *************************** CLICK HERE to see a large selection of Bible Study Guides for all ages! ***************************      Six weary survivors of a torpedoed ship in the Pacific reached a small uninhabited island in their lifeboat. Here they sought to make life as enjoyable as possible, knowing they might never be rescued. Weeks and months passed by. Not once did they see a ship on the vast ocean. Then one morning early, just after sunrise, one of the party saw a tiny speck on the horizon. Every man became alert. A great bonfire was lighted and smoke signals were sent up into the air. But the speck moved on out of sight.      Disheartened and discouraged, the men settled down in exhaustion to await their doom. The day passed and night came on. The fire died down but the embers kept burning. During the night the wind came up, and the fire burned brightly again. This time its light was reflected for many miles. Members of the crew of the ship thought they had seen smoke in the direction of the island and hunted all day for the tiny isle in the great Pacific. But now during the night when the flame had been fanned by the wind into a life-saving beacon, the sailors knew they had not been mistaken. Before dawn they anchored near the island. You can imagine the thrill of joy that filled the heart of the first man to awake. He saw his dreams fulfilled when his eyes beheld the ship, the savior of these lost men.      Today civilization as we know it on this planet is that one speck in all God’s universe that is lost. Of all God’s inhabited worlds ours is the only one where man has lived in sin and rebellion for six long millennia. But soon the picture is to be changed. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. We stand on the brink of eternity. We shall soon see our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is coming in power and great glory as God’s Book so fully and frequently testifies.—By Fenton Edwin Froom, Our Times, March 1948. Quote: “So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens to their country, and respectable members of society.”—By John Quincy Adams, Signs of the Times, February 1, 1938. *************************** Looking for the largest selection of Adventist eBooks, CLICK HERE! ***************************      Dwight L. Moody was a man of prayer. One of the most precious and sacred experiences of his life is as follows:      At the burning of Farwell Hall in Chicago, back in the sixties, Mr. Moody, having lost his parish with most of his earthly possessions, set out for New York with a feeling that his life was broken in sunder. On the cars he kept praying that God would endue him with more power for a greater work. His plea was, “Make me willing, O Lord, in the day of Thy power; willing to receive all that Thou wouldst bestow upon me.”      In a room at the old Metropolitan Hotel he kept up that prayer, hour after hour, kneeling, walking the floor, pleading, “O Lord, make me willing to be as strong for service as Thou wouldst have me.”      Toward evening a friend knocked, and receiving no answer, entered. Mr. Moody was standing with tearful eyes uplifted and saying softly in a broken voice, “O Lord, stay now Thy hand! No more! No more!” His prayer had been answered. God had fed his hungry soul and filled him even to the lips. And then began that marvelous work of evangelism in America and Europe, when souls came to Christ like doves flocking to their windows, which must ever be a mystery to those who doubt the importance of the energizing influence of the Spirit of God.—By J. L. Tucker, Present Truth, Vol. 26, No. 20. Quote: “Pentecost will be repeated if Pentecostal conditions are met, not otherwise.”—From Methodist, Signs of the Times, January 6, 1931. *************************** Download great sacred music. CLICK HERE! ***************************      “I don’t know what to do with my little boy,” said Willie’s mother. “He hasn’t been well, and the doctor told me to take him to the seashore, and let him play all day in the sand. But how am I going to make him play when he does not feel like it? He hides from the happy children, and sits and mopes by himself.”      “I know a prescription much better than your doctor’s,” said a strange lady sitting by.      “What is it?” asked Will’s mother.      “Call him, and let me try it,” said the stranger.      “Will, come here a minute,” called his mother.      Will got up slowly, leaving his bucket and spade in the sand.      “They’re just going to tease me about not playing,” he grumbled to himself. “I wish everybody would let me alone!”      But they didn’t say a word to him about playing.      “Will,” said the strange lady, brightly, “if you are not too busy, I wish you would help me a little.”      Will pricked up his ears. It had been a long time since he had been allowed to help anybody but himself.      “You see that little yellow cottage away off there?” asked the lady. “It is about a mile up the beach. There is a lame boy in that cottage, and I want to send him an orange; will you take it?”      “Yes, ma’am, certainly,” said the boy.      “And Will,” she continued, “if you can do anything to amuse, or cheer him, it would be a good thing, you know; he can’t get out of the house by himself, but he might with you to help him.”      Will was done moping now. He forgot all about himself in doing things for lame Lucien. That strange lady’s prescription worked wonders. If you ever feel dull, little readers, I advise you to try it!—From The Sunbeam, Signs of the Times, November 18, 1903. Quote: “Seek to discover the best that is in the souls of all with whom you associate; seek to encourage the souls of all whose lives seem less fortunate than your own.”—Unknown,Signs of the Times, October 7,  1903. *************************** The “ONLY” Psalm      The sixty-second Psalm is frequently called “The ‘Only’ Psalm” because the word onlyappears in it so frequently. “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defense; I shall not be moved.”      It is a happy day when we come to the place where our only expectation is from God. Too long, perhaps, we have looked to things or people to supply our needs and satisfy our wants. To reach the pinnacle of faith and peace, do not expect anything from yourself; for you will falter and fail. Do not place your hope in others either, even if they are fellow-heirs of glory; for they, too, will fail. Do not trust in riches, or in influence, or in power. None of these will avail. Trust only in the Lord. He is our rock and our salvation. He is our strength and our power. Whether the needs be spiritual or temporal, whether exigency or circumstance, learn to say with David, “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.”—Unknown, These Times, August 1966. *************************** Compiled by Dale Galusha. Please pass this newsletter on to others.