Pastors' Blog

By Pioneer Pastors

September 9, 2009
Health care reform or not, she did alright!
By Dwight K. Nelson

Health care reform or not, she did alright! The Scripps Howard News Service carried the story of Gregoria Martinez, 94, who was lovingly remembered by her family at her August 26 funeral in Quanah, Texas. In fact so many of her family attended her funeral that relatives handed out index cards to update addresses and telephone numbers while they had that many of them together. How large was Gregoria's family? She had eleven children, who in turn gave her ninety-eight grandchildren, who in turn gave her 164 great-grandchildren, who in turn gave her sixteen great-great-grandchildren-leaving her 289 descendents at the time of her death! The report indicates that the family has purposefully underestimated the figures, believing that the number could be as high as 500. That is one healthy family!

As we all know, President Obama and Congress are embroiled in a noisy and fractious health care reform debate. While Americans are agreed that something needs to be one to control escalating health care costs and while most of us express the desire for all citizens to have access to adequate health care, the more-heat-than-light generating debate over the details threatens any reform at all.

But leaving the debate aside, wouldn't it be wonderful if our nation were as preoccupied with health care of the heart? I don't mean the pumping organ, but rather that internal seat of our emotions, our hopes, our secret prayers, our touchstone with the divine. While this nation belongs to both the atheist and the faith-full, wouldn't we all be benefited by a collective quest to heal our fragmented lives, our increasingly isolated national soul. Not by mandating God and faith in the public school class rooms-that would be ultimately counterproductive. But by admitting our numinous sense of need, and validating our shared search for healing.

In our new fall series, "The Temple" (podcasts at this website), we meet a God who is so passionately devoted to the health of his earth children that in order to finally save them he brings all of history to a climactic drama in his celestial courtroom. And all of it for the sake of ultimate health reform: "'If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land'" (II Chronicles 7:14). Heal the land-that has always been the divine agenda, hasn't it? It is the single health care reform that could expand the family of God far beyond 289 descendents! For if God had his way, every earth child of his would be insured by the red cross that still offers full coverage to everyone who wants him.

September 2, 2009
How about a non-Labor-Day story for this Labor Day weekend?
By Dwight K. Nelson

How about a non-Labor-Day story for this Labor Day weekend? Several years ago I received a letter from one of our television viewers who is a Pentecostal pastor ministering in a city near us. He informed me that from his Bible study he had come to the conclusion that the Scriptures plainly and clearly teach that the seventh day of the week is the divine Sabbath for humanity, that it has been so from the creation of earth and remains so today. Needless to say he got my attention! “Moreover, I have written a book defending the seventh-day Sabbath,” his letter went on, “and am enclosing a disk with my manuscript.” As I read his manuscript, I was astounded at how articulately he built a strong biblical case for God’s Sabbath. The reason he had written was because he had discovered our telecast and wanted to be in communication with another pastor who shared his convictions. A few weeks later we met together in my office, along with one of his congregation members. The pastor had been teaching the Sabbath to his people, and several had joined him in beginning to honor the Lord of the Sabbath on the seventh-day. That was the first of many visits, the rest of which took place in his church in his city. In fact just this week we met again, this time with one of my members. But we met at a new church setting. And it was then I learned that recently one of his elders had led an effort to remove him as their pastor because of his decision to honor the Bible Sabbath. With a heavy heart he left his congregation. And after much prayer over the summer, he began a new pastorate in a for-sale church building across town. He told me last evening that his courage was strong, his confidence in God’s Word unshaken and his determination unchanged to teach and preach Christ as Lord of the Sabbath. As it so happened, this last Sabbath here at the Pioneer Memorial Church I met a Baptist pastor after our second celebration, who himself has been studying the Bible teaching of the Sabbath, all because he met another one of our members, who has begun studying the Bible with him. Two pastors from the same city making the same discovery—an affirmation, I believe, of the promise: “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (Proverbs 4:18). The secret for them, for you, for me is that we continue to step into the light that God graciously shines upon our pathways. As we do so, he promises that the light will grow brighter and brighter, as with every step our discovery of his will and truth deepens. It’s that way with God’s restful non-labor-day Sabbath. It’s that way with all his truth. Keep stepping into Christ’s light and you will never walk in darkness.

August 27, 2009
How would you like to begin the new school year with a loan this big?
By Dwight K. Nelson

How would you like to begin the new school year with a loan this big? If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with your higher education expenses right now, you might find a small measure of comfort in meeting somebody who owes a bit more than you do—the United States. Today’s headline was an eye-catcher: “U.S. is facing tidal wave of red ink.” And underneath it followed these words: “In a chilling forecast, the White House is predicting a 10-year federal deficit of $9 trillion—more than the sum of all previous deficits since America’s founding. And it says by the next decade’s end the national debt will equal three-quarters of the entire U.S. economy” (South Bend Tribune 8-26-09). I’m not very good with big numbers, but does 9,000 billions of dollars strike you as a bit excessive? And what kind of monthly payment plan do you suppose they’ll need in order to make up that staggering deficit and pay off the resultant debt? “Tidal wave” seems an appropriate metaphor, doesn’t it? But never mind the government right now. Think kingdom instead. For once upon a faraway time in a faraway kingdom, the God who still rules it made a promise that, while it wouldn’t solve our national deficit or debt, is the solution to your own new year worries. Tapping into the latent fears of us all, he spoke this quiet but profound reassurance when he was here among us: “‘Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows’” (Matthew 10:29-31 NLT). Did you catch that? “Don’t be afraid—you are more valuable to him.” More valuable than a flock of sparrows, more valuable than the tidal wave deficit and debt of this nation, or of all the world—truth be known (and it is), you and I are more valuable to him than even his own life. Just look at the cross! So if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed (or even underwhelmed) just hours into the new university year, cheer up and take heart. There is Someone in “The Temple” who will take care of you. In the words of that old gospel song—“I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free—for His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”

August 20, 2009
With forty-one candidates for president,
By Dwight K. Nelson

With forty-one candidates for president, Thursday’s election in Afghanistan certainly won’t be remembered as offering too little choice for the people of that war-torn nation. Although with the Taliban’s dark threat to kill poll workers and voters alike who show up for this national exercise in fledgling democracy, the choice for many may simply have been between life and death.

At the risk of oversimplifying the issues and demonizing the opposition, the parallels between the Afghan crisis and the intergalactic civil war that grips our own universe are striking. If the ancient Scriptures are to be believed, the divine Sovereign of the universe has risked the very existence of his government by granting to all citizens in his cosmic domain the inalienable right to choose whom they would have as Leader. Because of that guaranteed freedom, an angelic being long ago chose to reject the authority of the ruling God and rebel against his administration, thus igniting an internecine conflict that has now been isolated to this single planet in the galaxy and universe.

And on this planet that you and I call home leaflets from the sky have been announcing the final election of Leader for the citizens of earth. Although in our case, there are no forty-one candidates—there are only two: the apocalyptic dragon and the apocalyptic Lamb. And as surely as it was in Afghanistan, so for this election it has become the choice between life and death. But because it is still a choice for this planet’s inhabitants, the opposition’s guerilla warfare is an overt and obvious attempt to dissuade us all from voting at all—which would leave us plunged in the bloody status quo of this planet in rebellion.

Even a university campus like our own becomes a battleground for voter loyalty and citizen allegiance. None of us is accidentally thrust into this final election. The small choices of our day and night existences accumulate to become our final vote. “‘Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD’” (Joshua 24:15).

Because this election is so critical and because the final vote is potentially imminent for you and me, we plunge next week into a new exploration, “The Temple.” What is it that is transpiring in the throne room of the universe—even as we write and read these words—that carries eternal consequences for us here below? The unfolding events in the war room of the divine Candidate surely are consequential for the choice you and I must finally and fully make. Come to “The Temple” here at this website and at Pioneer Memorial Church Saturday mornings beginning next week. An educated electorate is liberty’s greatest hope.

August 13, 2009
Before we consider “Cash for Clunkers,” the government’s latest stimulus project,
By Dwight K. Nelson

Before we consider “Cash for Clunkers,” the government’s latest stimulus project, I’d like to thank our guest bloggers and preachers who allowed me to spend the last six weeks finishing a devotional book manuscript and marrying our son Kirk to our new daughter-in-law Chelsea. But of course, the preachers weren’t “guests” at all, but rather key leaders and pastors on our senior leadership team here at Pioneer. Without their passion for Christ and ministry, we wouldn’t be the Pioneer we are. So, thank you! Karen says that when it comes to the passage of time, I’m no optimist. It didn’t help that when May came I began announcing that the summer was essentially over. But I couldn’t help it, and turns out it was true! Anybody know where this summer sped? The school bells start clanging bright and early Monday morning—and a brand new adventure is launched. And that goes for Pioneer, too. In two weeks we begin what I’m praying will be a life-changing journey into “The Temple,” our new fall pulpit series that begins August 27. I hope you can share the voyage on Saturday mornings at Pioneer or 24/7 at www.pmchurch.tv. So are you considering the government’s three billion dollar “cash for clunkers” offer? Perhaps you’re already one of the happy new-car drivers who traded in that old gas-guzzling clunker for a $4,500 (or $3,500) subsidy toward the purchase of a brand new economical upgrade. I’m not here to critique the CARS (car allowance rebate system) program. Americans jumped at the offer—and the first billion dollars was gone in less than a week. And besides, getting a half million wheezing, polluting, gas-slurping vehicles off America’s roads—what’s not to like? But may I remind you that God beat the government to the punch and long ago launched the most successful “cash for clunkers” program in the history of the universe? Three billion dollars? Much more! God emptied the treasury of heaven at Calvary in order to make this declaration: “Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, ‘Take away the filthy garments from him.’ And to [the sinner with the filthy garments] He said, ‘See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes’” (Zechariah 3:4). God’s great gazillion dollar exchange offer—all the Bank of Heaven’s fortunes in exchange for my polluted and polluting, guilt-ridden, death-trap clunker of a life. There’s only one hitch—you have to act upon the offer. That’s the way it is with trade-ins. “O God, I desperately need to trade-in my moral bankruptcy for your priceless gift of Jesus’ perfect salvation.” Pray that prayer and you exchange the junk heap of history for an eternity with him. And what could be a greater stimulus than that?

July 23, 2009
Guest Blog: Keren Toms
By Dwight K. Nelson

Moses Maimonides, a physician and rabbi who lived in the twelfth century, worked in the court of the sultan of Cairo by day and cared for the destitute of that city by night. He began each day with the following prayer:

“Deem me worthy of seeing,

In the sufferer

Who seeks my advice,

A person Neither rich nor poor,

Friend nor foe,

Good nor evil.

Show me only the person.” Seeing in the sufferer only the person in need is not only a manifestation of our faith in action, but also a lead-by-example command of God (see Matt 20:28 or Gal 5:13-14 for starters). During the school year, students, staff, faculty, and community members alike can be found putting this faith into practice (I’d like to make clear that opportunities like this are not just for University students, but there are many the church family and community can be involved with in a variety of ways as well). To emphasize this point, I’ll share just a snapshot of what our Andrews students do in a weekend of service. On January 31, 2009, during some of our worst winter weather, the outreach ministry report read something like this:

This week we had a record number of volunteers working together! Throughout various locations in Berrien Springs, Benton Harbor, and Chicago a total number of 158 volunteers gave 470 hours to interact and minister to over 500 people.

It was followed by a detailed report of how many student volunteers help in different ministries and locations, how many people they worked with, and listed highlights that went on in each of these areas. And this is just a small representation of the collective effort of God’s people to hasten His soon return. How are you incorporating this mission into your own life? If you are not already involved, there are plenty opportunities to join in. But perhaps James calls us to action in a more fitting way: “But don’t just listen to God’s word, you must do what it says.” (James 1:22 NLT)

July 17, 2009
Guest Blog: Oliver Archer
By Dwight K. Nelson

Irony. Simply defined it is when the expected outcome is totally opposite of what actually happens. Sometimes irony is laughable and sometimes it is profound. In the book of Esther we find a little bit of both. Take for instance, that Xerxes, king of Persia, dismisses one wife because she won’t come when called, only to marry another who boldly enters his chambers uncalled. Imagine that Queen Vashti’s dismissal was to be an example to the women of the realm that they should obey their husbands, however Vashti’s replacement ends up making her husband, the king, obey her wishes. And all the feminists stand to their feet and applaud.  Of course, feminist or not, there’s something that makes us want to cheer as Haman leads his nemesis Mordecai on a horse proclaiming, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”  The scoundrel, he deserves to be humiliated.  We have no problem when the gallows Haman built to hang Mordecai is used for Haman himself.  Haman was the bad guy; he deserved his comeuppance.  Really?

Then how about this irony?  King David, a murderer, adulterer and cheat, is said to have a heart just like the heart of a loving, merciful, just God.  Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, a threesome that should have been associated with polygamy, lying and theft, end up being associated with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Forever!  Isn’t that ironic?  Think about it.  The Sinless Savior should have been the first to throw stones, but the sinless One was stoneless and stopped all the other stoners dead in their tracks, so a woman caught in the very act could go free.  It’s simply ironic, that the Creator of every herb-bearing seed was hung on a tree, so that we who deserve that curse could have access to the tree of life.  Paul said it best this way, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  Ironic?  But that’s what grace is all about.  I believe grace, not irony is the underlying theme of the book of Esther.  It is the underlying theme of our lives, even when we don’t realize it, even when we don’t accept it; God’s grace is there for us.

This brings me to what I feel is the most profound irony in the book of Esther.  Here in the only book of the Bible that makes no mention of God, God is teaching us that He is always there.  All the evil that the enemy meant for us, He wants to transform it for our good.  The real irony is that although grace is free to all, not all will receive it.  Yet to all who receive Him, He gives power to live beyond a life of irony.

June 30, 2009
Guest Blog: Esther Knott
By Esther Knott

At the time of writing this, I have been two weeks with little to no secular media contact—no TV, no radio, and only sporadic minimal connection to the internet for work purposes. (I've been at Michigan camp meeting.) My only reason for commenting on the lack of media infiltration into my life is to let you know that this will not be a commentary on what has been happening in the world—but more of what is in THE WORD. It seems the secular media is always full of bad news—telling you what the devil has been up to all day long.

In doing some research for our Contagious Adventist seminar publication this fall, I’ve been seeped in a study of “the sanctuary”. The sanctuary shows the badness of sin and the goodness of God. So, as our nation celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence I invite you to consider making a declaration of dependence—on the One who has been turning bad news into good news for 6,000 years. The story of the Good Balloon Man (as told in the children’s story this Sabbath) is a wonderful illustration that there is value in being bound to something that will only lead us in the right direction. What does your life declare to your family, friends, neighbors, the universe? What we declare is a reflection of what we believe the sanctuary declares.

June 30, 2009
Ever feel like the flight you’re on is going down?
By Dwight K. Nelson

Ever feel like the flight you’re on is going down? Karen and I just returned from two weeks in Europe—taping a Waldenses documentary (for the Andrews University School of Architecture) in Torre Pellice, Italy, and celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary in Grindelwald, Switzerland. After the recent Air France Flight 447 tragedy, travelers are even more sensitive to the possibilities of midair trouble. But our overnight flight to Europe was uneventful—until about five minutes before landing in Frankfurt, Germany—when there was a loud explosion near where we were seated, two rows up and on the opposite side. The explosion was followed by a loud roaring sound that only grew louder as we flew. Suddenly yellow pieces of insulation began shooting up from the aircraft wall into the cabin. A couple passengers jumped from their seats and fled to the other side. And we all began coughing from the insulation in the air. I don’t mind admitting it was a scary time. Your mind and heart are racing over the unknown. Is it a fire, or did a hole blow in the side of the Boeing 777? Naturally we were praying. The flight attendant on our side was yelling that her intercom was cut off. And I’m quietly thinking that this flight isn’t going to make it to the airport. But all the while there was no erratic movement of the plane. And eventually the loud roaring sound quieted away. Only coughing now. You can understand the relief in the air was palpable when the wheels finally touched down and passengers began applauding. Soon the copilot came on the intercom and in the great understatement of our flight announced: “Some of you may have heard a sound in the rear of the plane . . .” He informed us that one of the hydraulic lines running down the side of the aircraft had burst open, spewing insulation into the cabin. We have no idea where the line ran to—but praise God it apparently wasn’t to the wings or tail flaps. We were safe—hallelujah! Moral of the story—we must never take for granted our prayers for each other’s safety. Life is an uncharted flight at best. And while God is the pilot (like the sign in front of the church said, “If God is your copilot, you’re in the wrong seat!”), life can still be unpredictable. And uncertain. Hence our need of each other’s prayers. In that regard I solicit yours as I begin a writing sabbatical, to finish a 366-page devotional book for the Review and Herald Publishing Association that I began last summer. Eight months of devotional readings are now written, leaving me to write the four months of September through December over the next four weeks. So please claim Philippians 1:6 on my behalf—“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” And that, by the way, will be one flight guaranteed not to go down . . but up forever and ever. Amen.

June 4, 2009
Until the black boxes can be retrieved,
By Dwight K. Nelson

Until the black boxes can be retrieved, the cause of the crash of Air France Flight 447 over the Atlantic Ocean Sunday night will remain unresolved. Some have speculated that the aircraft suffered a midair disaster related to what scientists call the "intertropical convergence zone"—a nearly continuous band of colliding weather systems that stretches across the Atlantic at the equator from South America to Africa. The ICZ is the hotbed of some of earth's strongest storms, with massive thunderheads at times towering up to 60,000 feet above sea level. That has led some to speculate the aircraft flew into that brewing meteorological cauldron and suffered a catastrophic event associated with the weather. The discovery of floating aircraft debris two days later was grim confirmation that all 228 people aboard perished on that ill-fated flight. And we grieve for their loved ones. The reality is that all trans-Atlantic flights must fly through a "no radar" zone, a space above the ocean beyond the reach of air traffic controllers on either side of the Atlantic. Hundreds of flights every day traverse that swath beyond the reach of radar for hours at a time. Naturally, pilots rely on the on-board radar systems that monitor surrounding weather and other aircraft to assure their safe passage. The tragic accident Sunday night is a reminder that the forces of nature are unpredictable at best. Is it any different with life? Clear skies can morph almost instantaneously into a deadly brew of trouble. A phone call at 2 a.m., a doctor's grim report of the test results, an unobserved vehicle flying through a red light, even an innocuous little email—have you noticed, unforeseen high altitude turbulence can throw your life into a tail spin in a split second? For those times we all have faced and will yet face ahead, I'm grateful there is no swath of air space we traverse that is beyond instantaneous contact with God. It may feel like he's asleep in the midst of your storm right now. And it may appear that you are going down. But in that midnight fury when the panicking disciples cried in desperation, "Lord, save us," the gospels shout into the wind the good news that Jesus stands up in your crisis and raises his hands to the maelstrom with the quiet command, "Peace—be still" (Mark 4:39). A supernatural peace in the midst of the storm is only a three-word prayer way: "Lord, save me." For truth be known, God isn't within radar contact—he’s at the controls of your flight. And no matter how stormy the night, he will have the last word. Even if your flight goes down.