Speakers Corner

"Who is this guy?”

The Christmas story has become a time of great joy and celebration to me. The carols, the candles, the giving of presents, the occasional mistletoe, and the smell of all things festive; just seems to bring out the child in me. Even if you are not particularly religious, Christmas seemingly stirs within us a little bit more humanity, a little more consideration of others than we would normally have.

Before the beginning began, before the dawn of Creation, God had a perfect plan.
He did not just plan to create mankind; his capacity to love was bigger than that.
He said let us make man in our own image.
He planned to be the Father of many children, He would pour out His love on them and they would reciprocate by loving Him with their whole heart.

This article was originally posted on the Hollywood SDA website on Friday, October 22, 2010

Today is Friday, October 22, 2010.

That’s 166 years since the same date in 1844 when groups of Millerites expected Jesus to return to earth on that day to set up his eternal kingdom. In the aftermath of that disappointment a core of those devastated believers clung to their hope of the soon return of Jesus and end of sin and suffering. From the pain and turmoil of those early days the Seventh-day Adventist Church was born.

I don’t want to be seen as some sort of spiritual contradiction, a type of Adventist anomaly, ever pushing against the tide, just because I can. Misunderstood I may be but confused I’m not, l am Christianity. View me through the wide angles of disinterest or the magnifiers of criticism but I’m still Christianity. People read the Christ story, out of the bible they see played out in my life.

Who is this guy?
Every day, even if I don’t believe in this guy when I turn on my computer it flashes me the date, implicitly acknowledging that whatever I believe, the birth of Jesus is so important it splits history in two parts. Everything that has happened on this planet falls into a two undeniable categories...

Let Go … Let God!

It's amazing what can happen, when you do really let go. My Hill House experience was about letting go of my preconceptions, dismantling the bridges of protection I had built around myself and finding new family, or shall I say realizing the family that had always been there. My experience involved sharing, and allowing others to share with me, but first I had to open up. I wasn't sure how this would happen, but the anointing on the final day made sure that what God had planned for me took hold.

What do you do when you cry out to the Lord, and He answers not a word?
It’s like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling.
Finally, when you do get through, it’s like an angelic operator says to you …

“I’ll have to put you on hold!”

Then when God does pick up, he floors you with response…

“You always call upon Me, but you seldom call for Me!”