Spirituality
MY GOD LOVES WITHOUT RESTRAINT...
Many have tried to determine what constitutes the essential human endeavor. For some it is to be known and for others it is to be loved. For many it is to make a lasting mark on the world so that the impact of ones life continues to have significance.
At the heart of each pursuit is the sense that human life, no matter how frail or fleeting, is of great value and this value is appreciated when one life becomes truly aware of another.
Every heart wants to be cherished, every mind understood and every voice heard.
In the pages of Holy Scripture we hear God saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” and “I have loved you with an everlasting love” and we realize that we are known more completely and loved more deeply by our Creator than in any human experience.
It is divine love.
Although not every gesture of love demands a response, our Creator loves us and then invites us to respond.
What response does God want to divine love?
God wants to be known and to be loved. Moreover, God wants to live in our hearts but this invitation must come from us. Ultimately God wants to make an imprint on our lives that will last for eternity.
You are invited to discover for yourself the rich resources that Seventh-day Adventists have found on the journey in response to God’s invitation.
Vitality
MY LIFE IS A GIFT TO BE VALUED
When the Creator breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of Earth’s first parents, the act of giving human life was the culmination of a larger scope of work. An environment was first created that would stimulate all of the human senses. Each day we encounter sights, sounds, tastes and smells, we discover that repeated encounters don’t exhaust their wonder.
Human minds from the greatest to the most simple are constantly stretched in the attempt to understand our universe. Creation provided an abundance of food. Our nutritional needs were not merely supplied, but eating would form the context for joy and fellowship.
Relationships of love and mutual respect have always been a part of our Creators plan for us as well. In the harmonious balance between a healthy mind, a strong body and meaningful relationships that result in a joyful spirit, Seventh-day Adventists see vitality at its best.
Of course we live in a world that has broken away from fully reflecting the Creator's original design. The gap between where we were meant to be and where we find our world and ourselves is what we call sin.
The good news is that the same power that created our world created a solution to the problem of sin: Jesus. He is the one who said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
Seventh-day Adventists believe that while we live in a broken world we can still have lives that reflect vitality.
You are invited to learn more about what we understand to be the purpose of a healthy body, an enlightened mind and a joyful spirit that is reflected in healthy relationships.
Service
MY WORLD IS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE FIND HOPE..
When describing a pivotal moment in the life of Jesus with his disciples the bible says that Jesus “showed them the full extent of his love” (John 13:1 NIV).
How did Jesus show the disciples just how far his love would go? By taking off his outer garment, wrapping a towel around his waist and going from disciple to disciple—washing their feet.
The ultimate demonstration of love is to serve.
Setting aside our own agendas, in service we live out our commitment to the well being of others, often to our own discomfort.
Life often deals a painful blow to our fellow citizens of this world. It may leave a community without clean water, a child without access to education or it may convince a mother who struggles to provide for her children that there are no good options.
Every day the Spirit of God motivates people to act in selflessness and self sacrifice to change the world that others face from a place of hopelessness to one of hope.
Seventh-day Adventists believe that the admonition to love God with all of your mind, heart and soul naturally leads to the commitment to loving your neighbor through acts of kindness and service.
You are invited to discover some of the ways we try to change the world. More than that you are invited to join us and discover how God wants to change the world through you.