February 2019 Signs of the Times Email Newsletter

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February 2019 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. ***************************      There was once an old monk walking through the forest with a little scholar by his side. The old man suddenly stopped and pointed to four plants close at hand. The first was beginning to peep above the ground; the second had rooted itself pretty well into the earth; the third was a small shrub, whilst the fourth and last was a full-sized tree.      Then the old monk said to his young companion “Pull up the first.”      The youth easily pulled it up with his fingers.      “Now pull the second.”      The youth obeyed, but not so easily.      “And the third.”      But the boy had to put forth all his strength, and use both arms, before he succeeded in uprooting it.      “And now,” said the master, “try your hand upon the fourth.”      But lo, the trunk of the tall tree (grasped in the arms of the youth) scarcely shook its leaves; and the little fellow found it impossible to tear its roots from the earth.      Then the wise old monk explained to his scholar the meaning of the four trials.      “This my son is just what happens with our passions. When they are young and weak, one may by a little watchfulness over self, and the help of a little self-denial, easily tear them up; but if we let them cast their root deep down into our souls, then no human power can uproot them, the Almighty hand of the Creator alone can pluck them out.      For this reason, my child, watch well over the first movements of your soul, and study by acts of virtue to keep your passions well in check.”—Unknown, Signs of the Times, March 26, 1885. Quote: “A man with no weaknesses must find it very difficult to have patience with his weak and erring fellow men.”—Unknown, Signs of the Times, January 20, 1920. *************************** Don't miss the March 2019 issue of Signs of the Times: To order Signs, call: 1-800-765-6955 or CLICK HERE to order online. ***************************      It seems that even as a boy Charles Wesley knew where he was going. He grew up in a country rectory, the youngest of eighteen children. Poverty and hardship plagued that big household; but by good fortune, Charles was admitted to Westminster School.      Once while he was a student there, his rich uncle from Ireland came on a visit. “Charles,” he proposed, “come home with me and be my son. You will have everything in the world you could wish for. Someday all my lands will be yours.”      The lad seemed attracted by the offer—but for only a minute. Then he shook his head. “Thank you, sir,” he answered, “but I’d rather be a minister like my father.”—By Vincent Edwards, These Times, May 1968.   Quote: “There can be no revival when Mr. Amen and Mr. Wet-Eyes are not found  in the  audience.”—By C. G. Finney, These Times, September 1966. *************************** NEW from Pacific Press—Authentic by Shawn Boonstra is the 2019 daily devotional book. Each entry in Authentic is a moment of reflection, a brief peek at one small facet of the stunning picture of Jesus provided to us in the three angels’ messages. According to Boonstra, understanding our Adventist doctrines—from the sanctuary and the Sabbath to the health message and the state of the dead—leads us to a better understanding of the mind of God and to a more intimate knowledge of Christ. Pastor Boonstra states, “It is my prayer for you this year, that you will find yourself drawn ever closer to the One who stepped down from glory to be closer to you.” Read the first chapter of this book online. CLICK HERE. CLICK HERE to order online or from your local Adventist Book Center--1-800-765-6955. ***************************      “Attempted Delivery,” read the note in my mailbox—an official-looking form that was clearly from the United States Postal Service.      Strange, I thought. What could the post office have tried to deliver that wouldn’t fit in my mailbox? I wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary to arrive in the mail. I hadn’t ordered anything lately.      Scanning the notice, I saw there were a number of boxes to designate what the item was (package, letter, and large letter) and the reason it hadn’t been delivered (postage due, signature required, etc.). There was a big X in the box for “letter” and “$3” written beneath “postage due.” How could a simple letter cost three dollars to mail? Much less, still need three dollars more postage?      Curiosity set in. I kept wondering off and on the rest of the evening, What could the letter be? And who had sent it?      The next morning, I put three dollars in an envelope and attached it to the note from the post office with a paper clip, and put it all in the mailbox. Driving home from work, I couldn’t help speculating on what I would find. Eagerly, I opened my mailbox to solve the mystery. What had my three dollars bought me?      To my surprise and disappointment, there was no sign of the mystery letter in my mailbox. Neither was there any sign of the envelope in which I had put three dollars that morning. Had I just spent three dollars on nothing? Could it be that the post office was ripping me off?      The following day after work, I again anxiously opened the mailbox to find out what might be waiting. Once more, there was no letter. Had I just thrown away three dollars? Surely the mystery letter will be in the mailbox tomorrow, I told myself.      The following evening, I again hurried to see what I might find in my mailbox. And there it was! My name and address were written in a child’s handwriting. It was barely legible and covered most of the envelope. There was no return address. And the one first-class postage stamp had been stuck in the upper left-hand corner instead of its customary place on the upper right.      Adding to the mystery was a bulge in the envelope. Something hard. Something heavy.      I opened it carefully and pulled out a single sheet of lined paper—the kind little kids use in school. In the same childish scrawl that adorned the envelope was written a single unpunctuated line: Hi uncle dale thank you for all your letters I love them here is a spechel rock      Sure enough, the heavy bulge was a rock!      The letter came from my eight-year-old great-nephew, Jett. The rock, I later learned, was one he’d found on an adventure in the park near his house. It was his treasure because it had “cool markings” on it. And he wanted to share this “spechel” treasure with me.      Holding Jett’s letter and his special rock in my hand, I realized something. It wasn’t the rock that was special. It was Jett who was special. He wanted to show his love. He wanted to share something with me that meant a great deal to him. He wanted to show me his heart. So he sent what he had. All on his own, without his mother knowing anything about it, he had found an envelope and a stamp and had written me a letter enclosing his treasure.      It may look like an ordinary rock, but I have to agree with Jett that it is indeed “spechel”. It sits on my nightstand, a constant reminder of a child’s love. It reminds me, as well, to try to be more like Jett—to make the extra effort to show love and appreciation for those around me, to share more and hold back less.      Jesus probably said it best: “Unless you . . . become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3, NKJV).—By Dale Galusha and Russ Holt, Signs of the Times, February 2019. Quote: “It is easier for me to believe that God can create matter than to believe that matter can create man.”—By W. J. Bryan, Signs of the Times, October 18, 1910. *************************** Place this in your church bulletin or newsletter: It’s a great time to offer hope to your friends and neighbors. Signs of the Times® takes on a broken world and directs hearts to Jesus for relevant answers. The result is changed lives! Send a subscription today. 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 ***************************      It is said of Macaulay, the great English historian, essayist, poet, and statesman, that “he was always careful in his expenditures, wasting nothing that he might enjoy the pleasures of charity.”      “Enjoy the pleasures of charity!” How strange that sounds to most of us!      “Where is heaven?” asked a stingy soul one day.      “Go to the bank, draw ten dollars, take it to the poor widow living just around the corner, and you will find heaven,” was the reply.      Saving for merely selfish purposes shrivels the soul and sours the features; but saving for the sake of giving warms the heart and lights up the countenance with a divine glow.—Unknown—Signs of the Times—April 30, 1935 Quote: “Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change.”—By Robert F. Kennedy, These Times, November 1968. *************************** Give a Bible study this year. CLICK here to see a list of all the materials you need! ***************************      It is said that George Whitfield preached over three hundred sermons from the text, “Ye must be born again.”      When asked why he preached so often from the same text, he replied, “Because ye must be born again.”—Unknown, Signs of the Times, July 7, 1909. Quote: “Stars of hope are always born in the night of trouble.”—Unknown, Signs of the Times, September 19, 1911. *************************** NEW from Signs of the Times: Death Defeated! A beautiful special issue regarding the resurrection of Christ—and the hope it brings. CLICK HERE. ***************************      In one of the mission fields, a physician had been the means of restoring to health a beloved child. In their gratitude, the parents came and knelt at the feet of the doctor, worshiping her as if she had been a god.      The missionary remonstrated, saying, “We are not gods. Worship the true God.”      “You must be a god,” they said. “No one but a god could have saved our beloved from death.”      The missionary then said, “Suppose that I wished to bestow a valuable gift upon you, and sent it by the hand of one of your coolies, whom would you thank, the coolie or myself?”      “We should thank you, of course; the coolie is your servant.”      “And so am I God’s coolie,” said the missionary, “by whose hand God has been pleased to send you this gift of healing, and it is to Him you must bow and give thanks.” And so at last their hearts turned to the true God.—Selected, Signs of the Times, March 10, 1909. Quote: “To do good to those who do not appreciate it, to serve those who will never even know by whom the service was rendered, are marks of true unselfishness.”—Unknown,Signs of the Times, April 17, 1917. *************************** Share a tract today. See the largest selection of tracts available. CLICK HERE. ***************************      I never tire of the story of Charles Lamb, who on a certain occasion, was talking with a circle of his friends about Jesus and others of the exalted men of history. Lamb was arguing that the Nazarene in his short but glorious life reached heights of spiritual dignity and beauty not reached by other men. Much as we might say the same of Mahatma Gandhi in our time!      “For example,” said Lamb, “what would we do if Shakespeare came into this room? We would all rise to our feet. But what would we do if Jesus came into this room? We would all fall upon our knees.”—By John Haynes Holmes, These Times, September 1965. Quote: “To try to find any real satisfaction in hating others is like pinching ourselves and expecting them to feel the  hurt.”—Good Cheer, Signs of the Times, April 30, 1902. *************************** CLICK HERE to see the largest selection of Adventist eBooks! *************************** Where there is faith, There is love; Where there is love, There is peace; Where there is peace, There is God; Where there is God, There is no need.—Unknown, These Times, March 1967. *************************** Compiled by Dale Galusha. Please pass this newsletter on to others.