“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isa. 26:3, NKJV).
My favorite and most comforting verse in the Bible is Isaiah 26:3. This text brought me peace of mind after I completed writing “love letters” to my husband and children, encouraging them and expounding on how much I loved them and sharing my hopes for their future.
Story by Chesapeake Conference Staff
Last evening, the Chesapeake Conference Executive Committee elected Andre Hastick to the position of Chesapeake Conference executive secretary. Hastick accepted the call, filling the vacancy left by Jerry Lutz, who was recently elected to serve as Chesapeake Conference president. The executive committee convened virtually for the session, chaired by Elder Lutz.
Hastick began his ministry in Chesapeake in 2011 when he accepted a call to serve as pastor of the Aberdeen (Md.) Seventh-day Adventist Church. Two years later, he went on to serve as pastor of the Reisterstown and South Carroll Seventh-day Adventist churches, both located in Maryland.
“From the ends of the earth ... You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you” (Isa. 41:9–10, NKJV).
Loneliness settled among my thoughts like a heavy winter fog. I had recently moved across the continent to begin graduate studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. While excited about the research opportunities ahead, I missed my family and community back home in the United States. I had no relatives or friends in this new city along the Pacific coast. I remember thinking, What have I done? I just moved across an entire continent to the end of North America! Anxiety always exaggerates trouble, doesn’t it?
“Ask, and you will be given what you ask for. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened” (Matt. 7:7, TLB).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained to His disciples that prayer is a lifestyle, not just a group of moments in life. Jesus used a continuous tense for the three verbs here: “ask,” “seek” and “knock.” These verbs translate to “keep on asking,” “keep on seeking” and “keep on knocking.” These actions show us the different prayers we need in different situations in our lives.
“Keep on asking” refers to our needs, wants and wishes that reflect the Lord’s will in our lives. It is not pushing buttons to get what we want.
Given the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s history and distinctive focus on the second coming of Jesus Christ, it’s not surprising that, during tough economic times, after natural disasters or amid seasons of great uncertainty, many members speculate how “near” the end is. The Visitor team talked with four pastors and captured excerpts of their perspectives.
Cesar Gonzalez, pastor of Chesapeake Conference’s Cambridge and Beacon of Light churches on the Eastern Shore of Maryland