Pastors' Blog

It may have been quite a while since you read this particular Bible story, but you undoubtedly remember the story in Genesis 3, right? The scene is the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve are responsible for caring for the garden, which they do. In the evenings God comes to spend some time with them, maybe to hear from them all they had learned that day, perhaps to answer any questions they may have had throughout the day. And then one day when the snake, coiling around the branches of The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, initiated a conversation with Eve.

The serpent told Eve that eating the fruit wouldn’t lead to death. (He still tells people this today, claiming they have immortal souls.) He promised her wisdom and that she would become like God, knowing good and evil. Eve decided to eat the fruit and then gave some to Adam, who also ate. Let’s pause and reflect: Eve disobeyed God, seeking greater knowledge, and became subject to death. Adam, aware of the consequence, chose Eve over God.

That evening, when God came calling, the two weren’t waiting for him; they were hiding from Him. When he confronted the two with what they had done, Eve blamed her disobedience on the snake (that you created!), and Adam blamed his disobedience on Eve (the woman You gave me!). Ellen White had an interesting observation in one of her books: “If God hadn’t intervened Adam would have joined forces with Satan to oppose God.”

They, of course, were banned from the Garden, which kept them away from the Tree of Life. Because if they had eaten from it, would have turned them into immortal sinners. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that was the next thing Satan wanted.

What were the responses of the two to God’s discipline of them? They’d lost their home, and it wasn’t too long until they lost both of their sons with Cain killing Abel. Do you think perhaps they wanted to turn their “clocks” back?

A related question is, what was it that God wanted? I think the answer to that is He wanted the two of them back so they wouldn't run away when they heard Him coming. What would it take?

The first thing God did was to address their abominable leaf garments by providing them with animal skins to wear. What happened to the animals? They died, of course. I think God must have used a couple of sheep, which He could have used to teach them about salvation from sin. From that moment on every time there was sin to be dealt with they would offer an animal to shed its blood so they could be forgiven.

But that wasn’t the core lesson that God wanted. He wanted them to place their trust in Him, so that when He came calling, they wouldn’t be hightailing it into the woods to avoid Him. And as they discovered that the animals they were offering for their sins represented His Son, their lost trust would be restored, and they would never run away again.

Can we understand God’s inner emotions? The grief He experienced? The pain of loss? The incredible loneliness? The horrible disappointment?

So, how is all of this sitting with you? Are you able to trust Him? He’d love to have you trusting in Him. What do you think? If you know that He gave His only Son to die for you and your sins, isn’t He worthy of your trust?

There is a quiet reality on our campus. Students who attend their classes but skip their meals.
Families who stretch one box of cereal across a week. Graduate students who carry family expectations and hopes in addition to their full course loads and empty pantries.

Food insecurity is not somewhere else. It is here. On our campus. In our classrooms. In our pews. And that should matter to us.

In Luke 3:11, John the Baptist said, 

“Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

It is not complicated theology. It is discipleship in human flesh.

Centuries later, another preacher, Basil of Caesarea, wrote in his Homily to the Rich:

“The bread which you hold back belongs to the hungry; the coat which you guard in your closet belongs to the naked.”

In both John the Baptist’s and  Basil’s agrarian world, excess was rare but it was life-threatening for someone else. The line between surplus and survival was thin.

We live in a technological society where scarcity is less visible. We can order delivery for dinner while someone down the block or the dormitory hall quietly rations ramen. We can stockpile without ever seeing the face of the one who lacks.

Fasting Reorients the Heart

As Adventists, we don’t typically observe Lent. Yet, many around us are leaning into a season of intentional fasting and self-denial. The intention behind the fast is to reorient the heart and life around Jesus as a routine discipline in their spiritual lives.

In Matthew 6:16–18, Jesus assumes we will fast. He doesn’t say if you fast, but when you fast. And he warns us not to perform it for applause. No ashes, gloomy faces or theatrics. Instead, it should be secret and sincere.

Fasting is not a health fad. It’s a deliberate dependence on God.

Sometimes we fast from things that are detrimental to our physical or spiritual health. Sometimes we fast from good things that have quietly crowded out our need for Jesus. 

Food. Busyness, Media. Noise. Achievement. Money. Or, even, Ministry.  

Fasting exposes dependence. It reminds us that we are not self-sustaining creatures. When we feel the ache of hunger, we remember that we are sustained by God’s grace alone.

But Fasting Must Move Beyond Us

While fasting might be what you need to reorient your heart to God. It is also an opportunity to serve those less fortunate. To fast is to stand, even briefly, in solidarity with those for whom hunger is not a discipline but a daily reality. In fasting, we choose what others endure and live in embodied empathy. 

While fasting, some take the money they would have spent on meals and give it to those in need. Others take the time they would have spent watching the next episode on Netflix and invest that time in service. Some take their excess and give to those seeking basic sustenance. 

There is no prescribed method but, the point is movement from self to neighbor.

Manna Food Pantry 

On this campus, one tangible way to live this out is through the Manna Food Pantry. 

Manna exists because food insecurity exists here. There are students balancing tuition, rent, textbooks, family obligations, and unexpected emergencies. When budgets tighten, groceries are often the first thing reduced. Hunger becomes normalized. Stigma keeps it quiet.

But no student should have to choose between bills and dinner.
No student should try to concentrate in class while wondering how to stretch the next meal.

If you are considering a fast, consider this: what if the money saved became groceries on someone else’s table? What if the hours reclaimed became volunteer time sorting and distributing donations? What if our private discipline became public mercy?

If you are interested in aiding those dealing with Food Insecurity a donation guide is listed below.

Drop off locations:

1. The Counseling & Testing Center, Bell Hall Suite 123

2. Campus & Student Life office (Campus Center main floor)

3. University Towers front desk

We’ve had a few teasing days of sunshine here in Berrien Springs. The snow melted just enough for us to spot grass and the brave little plants underneath. It felt like winter had finally loosened its grip.

And then… more snow.

The cold that seemed to be packing its bags decided to stay a little longer. It makes you wonder: Will winter ever step aside and let spring take over? Were those sunny days just a preview of something better — or a false alarm?

We know how this works. Spring follows winter. Summer comes next. Then fall. Then winter again. The cycle is predictable.

And yet, when we’re in the middle of a season, it’s amazing how quickly we start wishing for the next one.

In the heat of summer, we say, “When will those cool autumn evenings come? I can’t wait to see the trees change color.”
Or maybe it’s more desperate: “I’m so done with these bugs! Please, let the cold come and take them away!”
Then in the fall, we’re tired of raking leaves every other day and start dreaming of a quiet snowfall covering everything like a clean white blanket.

Before long, we can slip into a pattern of living in one season while constantly wishing it away — always waiting for the next thing.

Let me ask you: Is that a healthy way to live?

Don’t answer too quickly. Sit with it for a moment.

I think there are reasons we might say both yes and no.

Think about the Israelites during the Exodus. Under the leadership of Moses, they left Egypt — a place of slavery and bondage, yes, but also the only life they had known. They had some security and routine. But now, they had seen God’s power. They had witnessed miracles. They were free!

And yet… they were in the wilderness.

Day after day, walking through the desert. Not in bondage anymore, but not yet in the Promised Land. It’s not hard to imagine how discouraging that must have felt. Some even said, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?” (Ex. 14:12). A few wanted to go back. Many were simply weary.

Here’s what I find beautiful: in that in-between season, God gave them manna.

Not a year’s supply.
Not a month’s supply.
Just enough for that day.

If they tried to store it, it spoiled. They had to wake up each morning and trust Him again.

What a lesson for us.

God didn’t rush them straight from Egypt to “a land flowing with milk and honey.” He sustained them daily in the wilderness. The manna kept their focus on what God was doing that day — while still trusting what He would do in the future.

Jesus echoes this in the book of Matthew: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”

Do we see signs of the times for us now? We know hard seasons will come. We also know they don’t last forever, and a better season is also coming. The same God who holds the future is holding today.

Look at the life of Joseph. The God who gave him dreams and a coat of many colors was the same God who was with him when his brothers sold him into slavery. The same God was with him as he worked in the house of Potiphar, in the prison, and later in the palace serving under Pharaoh.

Joseph didn’t waste his prison season waiting for the palace. He served faithfully wherever he was. He understood who he ultimately worked for. He made the best of each season without losing sight of God’s promises.

He even told his family near the end of his life, “God will surely visit you.” He trusted that the story wasn’t over — but he also lived fully in the chapter he was given.

Maybe that’s the balance.

Yes, it’s okay to long for spring when it’s cold.
Yes, it’s natural to hope for better days.

But we don’t have to put life on hold while we wait.

Winter has its beauty. So does the wilderness. So does the prison before the palace.

May we live with quiet confidence in whatever season we find ourselves. May we trust that God is not only preparing our future, but actively working in our present. And as we move forward, may we keep “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” — not passively, but faithfully, right here and right now.

I was looking through the window, marveling at the snowflakes and the beautiful winter scenery, and I found myself thinking, "how much longer will this cold winter last?" We are in the middle of January; therefore, we probably still have a few cold months ahead of us. It will be tremendously important to stay warm during this time. Have we made provisions for that?

Then I remembered a Japanese proverb: “One kind word can warm three winter months.” What a precious thought! Let’s put it into practice and keep warm! Yet, we don’t need to look only to Japanese wisdom; we know biblical proverbs that speak powerfully about the importance of words. I would like to share a few of them here.

Proverbs 15:23 “To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!”
Whatever season of life we are in, whatever winter we may be going through, let us use kind words with one another.

Proverbs 16:24 “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”
If we want to remain healthy this winter, let us choose gracious words. And there is even more about our health:

Proverbs 15:4 “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”
We may need a “windbreaker” when we go outside but let us not break one another’s spirit.

Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Let us be peacemakers and use words that do not provoke anger.

Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”
What a tremendous power we have been given. Let us use it to encourage, to build up, and to help one another stay warm during the winter.

May all of us keep warm this winter. May we use kind words.

Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”