Finding Hope Through Discovery in Bible Study

“Times of Loss, Times of Hurt— Strong at the Broken Places” Larry R Evans Sabbath School Study June 1, 2010 Introduction When I invited Jesus into my life, I thought he was going to put up some wallpaper and hang a few pictures. But he started knocking out walls and adding on rooms I said, ‘I was expecting a nice cottage.’ But He said, ‘I’m making a palace in which to live.’ –C.S. Lewis This past week, in preparation for today, you and I have been reflecting through our Sabbath School studies on the “Times of Loss”.   I’ve widened it in this study and included “Times of Hurt.”   I’ve done so because often moments of loss are accompanied with hurt caused by people, circumstances or things we ourselves have said or done.   During such experiences, the perspective we have makes a world of difference.   I was reminded of this when I received an email from Marti Schneider, Elder Don Schneider. She wrote, After accompanying him to...

Living in the World with Children And Seasons of Parenting Larry R Evans Introduction I grew up in a home that wasn’t perfect, and I knew it. My father wasn’t a Christian, but my mother had the heart of a Christian. Some might count such disparities as a disadvantage.   It was in some respects, but it did provide insights into two different worlds. I knew which one I liked better. I just didn’t know how to navigate to get there. Dr. and Mrs. Downs had no idea of the impact they had on my life then or now. Somehow my mother arranged for me to go to summer camp.   To get there, Dr. and Mrs. Downs invited me to ride with them and their son. I was anxious to see how an Adventist family lived. I ­­don’t remember much but the impressions have lasted to this day. Simple things like praying before we began the drive to camp stirred my thinking. “Ahhh,” I thought, “being ‘spiritual’ wasn’t something that just happened at church.” They were also h...

Seasons of Family Unity -- Keys for Understanding   Larry R Evans, DMin Introduction “Houston We’ve Had a Problem” Houston, We’ve Got a Problem  is a 1974 American  made-for-television   drama film  about the  Apollo 13  spaceflight. The title of the film is a misquotation of the ominous announcement made by Commander   Jim Lovell   following the explosion of an oxygen tank which tore off the side of the spacecraft’s   service module . Lovell actually said, “Houston, we’ve had a problem ”. [1] The film does not focus on the spaceflight itself, but rather on the crises in Mission Control.   Jim Lovell   wrote a letter to   TV Guide about the film, saying that the crises in Mission Control were dramatized. When it comes to the many challenges being faced by families today, I’m not sure the crises is being dramatized. With today’s study, we give focus to the communication from an...