February 2022 Signs of the Times Newsletter!

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February 2022 Signs of the Times Email Newsletter The Signs of the Times newsletter is a collection of stories and quotes from past issues of Signs and These Times. ***************************      The story is told of a famous naturalist who, one summer day, went into the Highlands of Scotland with his microscope to study that beautiful little flower, the heather bell, in all its native glory. He got down on his knees, and, without plucking the flower, adjusted his instrument, and was soon reveling in its color, its delicacy, and its beauty. Forgetting everything about him, he gazed in rapture at the little queen of the heather.      How long he stayed there he does not know. Suddenly there was a shadow on him and on his instrument. He waited for a time, thinking it might be a passing cloud. Presently he looked up, and there was an old Highland shepherd standing by, watching him. Without saying a word, he plucked the little heather bell, and handed it, with the instrument, to the old shepherd, that he, too, might see what he had been beholding. Then he waited with interest to see what the old man would do.      As the Highlander put the instrument up to his eye, focused the heather bell aright, and feasted on its loveliness, the tears ran down his wrinkled face. Then, handing back the little flower tenderly, he said: "Ay, mon, I wish ye had never shown me that. I wish I had never seen it." "Why?" asked the scientist. "Because," he said, "these rude feet have trodden on so many of them, without knowing of their beauty."      Vision had made the difference with this old man, as it does with every man.—By Charles G. Bellah, Signs of the Times, October 14, 1941. Quote: “The leading men in the pulpit for the next twenty years will be the men who keep the Bible to the front.”—By Dwight L. Moody, Signs of the Times, April 25, 1939. *************************** Don't miss the March 2022 issue of Signs of the Times: To order Signs, call: 1-800-765-6955 or ONLINE. ***************************      Johnstown, Pennsylvania, had an air of fear and dread a few years ago. The engineers said the great dam which had stood for so many years was going to break in a few hours. The rain had been falling for days; the water had backed up. When the engineers found a little crack in the dam, they said, "Flee to the hills, go to the mountains; the flood is coming!"      But there were hundreds of people who said, "Why, those young college students don't know what they're talking about! That dam has held for years!" They stayed in their places of business, and suddenly there was a crash and a roar, and down the valley millions and millions of gallons of water rushed to sweep 2,300 people to their deaths because they refused to be warned and refused to leave.      I tell you, the words of judgment are about to fall! Repent, believe, and accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour!—By Billy Graham, These Times, September 1963. Quote: “Winning one soul at a time results in winning a multitude in time.”—By Charles G. Bellah, Signs of the Times, September 16, 1930. *************************** NEW from Pacific Press—Closing Prayers: Facing the Final Crisis on Our Kneesby Randy Maxwell. How should Christians pray in the last hours of earth’s history? The final crisis we must be most concerned about is the crisis of self and surrender to the Holy Spirit. God is looking for ordinary men and women who will pray the right prayer at the right time in the right way for the right reason. Are you one of them? Read the first chapter of this book ONLINE. Order ONLINE or from your local Adventist Book Center--1-800-765-6955. ***************************      Some time ago I visited Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. Hundreds of feet under the surface is Echo River along which the guide rowed me some distance in a boat. As he tied the boat to a stake on the bank of the river, he pointed to an opening in the side of the wall - leading to a passage way running five miles farther into the heart of the earth. "Let me tell you what happened here not long ago," said he. "This river rises to a great height sometimes. A mulatto guide took three tourists through here, as I am taking you through the cave today. He tied the boat to a stake on the bank here as I have done, and while they were gone five miles beyond, exploring the cave, the water rose, and the boat pulled the stake and drifted down over the precipice just beyond. When they returned it was gone, and the river was still rising higher and higher. None but the guide could swim. He placed the three tourists on the bank against the wall, and told them that they would all perish unless he swam up the river and scaled the heights on the other side and brought back another boat to rescue them. He took the torch in his mouth and swam up the stream a quarter of a mile, leaving them standing on the bank of the dark river Styx, as it used to be called, all alone in the darkness.      "All they had to rely upon was the promise of the mulatto that he would return again and deliver them from their perilous situation. They waited and waited, and the water kept rising higher and higher. Soon it reached their knees, then their loins, and still he did not come to deliver. But they clung in faith to the guide's promise. Soon the water reached their armpits and they almost felt their feet slipping into the deep waters, but still they waited in hope and clung to the promise of the guide that he would not leave them to perish. Just as they were about to be swept away they saw the glimmer of the torch in the distance and heard the paddle of the oars. He reached them just in time to rescue them, and their hope and confidence in his promise was rewarded and changed into glad fruition."      As the guide told me this thrilling story, I said to myself, "If those men could put their trust and confidence in the promise of a guide, and he not disappoint them, I certainly can place mine with blessed assurance in the promise of my Lord that He will come again and will not leave us to perish in this dark and hopeless world of sin and death." By Charles S. Longacre, The Watchman Magazine, November 1928 Quote: “I am a great sinner, but Jesus Christ is a great Savior.”—Anonymous, These Times, April 1981. *************************** Place this in your church bulletin or newsletter: Why not share Signs of the Times® with a neighbor or relative? Sending a subscription is simple, inexpensive, and effective. Make a difference TODAY! Call: 1-800-765-6955 or go online at: https://adventistbookcenter.com/signs-of-the-times-magazine.html ***************************      I was watching a sermon on YouTube earlier today that was preached by Terry K. Anderson in 2016. The sermon was titled “You Don’t Look Like Your Picture.” Pastor Terry starts the message by relating a story about being invited to preach in Newport News, Virginia. He had never been to Newport News and had not met the pastor of the church. The pastor knew Pastor Terry’s appearance from a photo sent from Terry’s church. The Virginia pastor was not available to make the airport pickup, so he sent a deacon in his place and gave him the picture of Pastor Terry so he would know who to look for.      While standing in baggage claim, Pastor Terry noticed a man looking at him. The two made eye contact, and then the man walked on past. About ten minutes later, the same gentleman came back to baggage claim and looked at the pastor, and the pastor looked at him. But once again, the man passed by without comment. This happened a third and fourth time. By now, Pastor Terry was getting nervous. “I don’t like men looking at me too much,” he says, drawing laughter from the congregation.      The last time the man came by, he finally approached and said, “Are you Pastor Anderson?”      “Yes sir, I am,” replied Terry.      “I apologize,” he said. “I passed by several times to pick you up. My pastor wasn’t able to come, and he gave me a picture of you, but you don’t look like your picture.”      Pastor Anderson explained that he was about forty pounds lighter in that picture, had no gray hair, and his church had worn “all the pretty off.”      “I would have gotten you sooner; I apologize, but you don’t look like your picture.”      Then Pastor Anderson homes in on his thesis for the message: “There is a portrait of the church in the New Testament book of Acts. And we have moved far from the DNA structure of the church in its infancy. The twenty-first-century church no longer looks like the first-century church. We have a whole lot of bells and whistles. We have buildings and budgets, parking lots and people, but for some reason, we don’t look like our picture.”      This is what happens when spiritual dehydration afflicts a church. We’re supposed to look like Christ, but we’ve put on too many pounds of pride; we’ve split so many theological hairs we have to wear wigs to cover our baldness. Furthermore, church and national politics, power struggles, prejudice, policies, and pettiness have worn all the “pretty” off. Like Israel in Elijah’s time, we don’t look like our picture. Dehydration is ugly. And Elijah called his people out for their dryness.—By Randy Maxwell, From Closing Prayers. Quote: “Our source of power is the fullness of Christ. Upon this we may draw, and draw again. There is no limit to the supply.”—By Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, March 7, 1892. *************************** Planning to give a Bible study? Everything you need can be found at: www.ToolsForEvangelism.com ***************************      One Sunday night in April, 1912, the unsinkable “Titanic” on her maiden voyage hit an iceberg in the north Atlantic and went down, carrying hundreds of her passengers to their death in the icy waters. On board the great vessel on that tragic night was a Colonel Gracie. Hundreds of miles away his wife, enjoying the comforts of her home in America, could not sleep. She had a premonition that her husband was in danger, and prayed earnestly that the Lord would protect her companion. All through the night she prayed until about five o’clock in the morning. At last peace came to her heart, and she fell asleep.      Meanwhile Colonel Gracie was helping the crew of the Titanic to launch the lifeboats and get the women and children safely into them. There were not enough lifeboats for all, and he knew he could not hope to be saved. He stayed by the ship until it plunged into the icy waters. When he came to the surface he found himself near an overturned lifeboat. He and several other survivors climbed onto that boat, where they clung until daylight brought help. Colonel Gracie was saved. He and his devoted Christian companion were ever positive that God had answered prayer that eventful night.—C.L. Paddock, Signs of the Times, December 7, 1954. Quote: “Try reading the Bible—it will bring you to your knees.”—Unknown, These Times, April 1981. *************************** You can share a Pocket Signs in so many ways, and at so many different occasions. Be prepared! Have some Pocket Signs with you at all times. CLICK HERE to see the large variety available! ***************************      The jump headline was even more dramatic than the one on front page. It read: "Misgrading of Lumber Branded 'Shame and Scandal."      Here is the lead from the Washington Post of November 19, 1968:      "In February, 1967, the roof of the St. Rose of Lima church in Baltimore collapsed on 100 worshipers, injuring 48 of them. A structural engineer who analyzed the collapse for Baltimore authorities found that a single two-by-four `of inferior grade' had failed, triggering the collapse of the entire roof."      This story reminded me of a can of apricots I found during World War II. Under the color picture of an apricot were these words: Below Standard in Quality—Good Food—Not High Quality.      At least this was honest advertising. But the lumber dealers who were selling "of inferior grade" two-by-fours were something less than honest. And Robert G. Kaiser, who wrote the seventy-five-inch story, quoted the Federal Trade Commission as saying, "The masquerading of low-grade lumber for high-grade lumber has bilked consumers of millions of dollars," and has "lowered the margin of safety in innumerable dwellings."      One, just one, two-by-four brought injury to forty-eight of the hundred worshipers in the St. Rose of Lima church of Baltimore, Maryland.      "Shame and Scandal," the page 6 headline read.      Just one weak plank can destroy your house of character.      Probably on your study table or in your library is a leather-bound book. On the back or on the cover it may read "Holy Bible."      How long has it been since you studied it every day? This Book is your guide to sound building material. If you aren't familiar with it, when do you intend to become familiar with it?      "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall."      Examine your "house." Be truthful with yourself. Discard any element of inferior quality. You cannot risk injury to yourself or any other who may come into the sphere of your influence.—By Walter T. Crandall, The Youth’s Instructor, January 7, 1969. Quote: “It is not well for man to pray cream, and live skim milk.”—By Henry Ward Beecher, These Times, March 1970. *************************** Compiled by Dale Galusha. Please pass this newsletter on to others.