Seventh-day Adventist

There is a powerful truth that comes through this passage. For reasons not entirely clear, Peter had returned to fishing. In the days after the resurrection, he was an uncertain and insecure individual. What lay ahead, he didn’t know. In denial and cursing Jesus, Peter utterly failed when Jesus needed him most. He may have even thought that his sin and failure eliminated the possibility of ever being used by God again.

When I got to our verse for today, I immediately knew it had the wisdom I needed. I could fret and worry, plan and work late into the night. Or I could trust God with my problem, confident of His love and care. And if I chose the latter, He would put my mind at ease and give me sleep.

I was 2-years-old when part of my finger was cut off. My parents had a boat, and I loved to play on it whenever my dad was working in the house. I was playing one day, when I suddenly fell off, and my finger got stuck in the motor. My dad rushed me to the hospital. My life hasn’t been the same since.

Chesapeake Conference's New Hope church in Fulton, Md., recently redesigned the children's Sabbath School hallway to resemble an entire town.

In the afternoon, Ruven, Beth and I went into the water. Shortly after, an undertow began to pull us out to sea. Ruven and Beth held onto their floats and made it back to shore. I, thinking I’d be able to stand, jumped off the float. Fear overwhelmed me as I realized the undercurrent had dragged me close to the 1,000-foot drop, famous for its scuba diving.

What is something in your life that you are afraid of? What can you do to remind yourself that God is the One in control?

It was 1979, and we had just completed a year in Osaka, Japan, as student missionaries from Oakwood College (Ala.). The last stipend had been received and was just enough to get my husband, Thomas, and me home to Richmond, Va. Our plan was to see parts of the world on our return trip that we might never visit again.

When I was 7-years-old, my grandmother discovered the Seventh-day Adventist faith. Every Friday night, she took me with her to an Adventist neighbor’s house to welcome the Sabbath. After we attended a few times, I asked her why we were worshipping on Saturday instead of Sunday. She explained to me that the Bible said God created the Sabbath for us when He created the world. We began reading the Bible together so I could learn more.