Looking for a luxurious and thoughtful Christmas gift? These limited-edition, 100% wool blankets are crafted from the wool of the sheep raised at the AU Agriculture Education Center to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Andrews University. Made at
Mountain Meadow Wool Mill with natural, undyed wool, these high-quality blankets are perfect for family, friends, or anyone who values something special and meaningful. With only 45 still available, they’re truly one-of-a-kind! To learn more, go to the Made at Andrews store (www.madeatandrews.com) and search for "Logo blanket."
How To Quantify Your Happiness
How To Quantify Your Happiness: In the Churchyard of Cambridge
Speaker
Dwight K. NelsonDwight Nelson served as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University from 1983 to 2023. During his time at Pioneer he spoke on the “New Perceptions” telecast, taught at the theological seminary and has written books, including The Chosen. He and his wife, Karen, are blessed with two married children and 2 granddaughters.
Offering
More In This Series
“How to Quantify Your Happiness: ‘The Churchyard in Cambridge’”
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□ Susan Reimer on the latest Journal of Consumer Research study
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“‘While people tend to define happiness in terms of excitement,
enthusiasm and high stakes arousal, people define happiness in terms of calm, peacefulness and low states of arousal,’ the authors wrote. We still love thrills as we age, the researchers found. experiences give young and old almost the same amount of pleasure. But happiness from experiences as people got older.” (South Bend Tribune 3-2-14)
- Ninety-three year old essayist Roger Angell on aging: “‘We’ve outgrown our ambitions. If our wives or husbands are still with us, we sense a trickle of contentment flowing from the reliable springs of routine, affection in long silences, calm within the light boredom of well-worn friends, retold stories and mossy opinions.’” (Ibid)
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“‘While people tend to define happiness in terms of excitement,
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□ Jesus in Acts 20:35
- “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “In the Churchyard at Cambridge”:
“Dust is in her beautiful eyes”—a graphic depiction of the unassailable truth that you can’t it with you.
Thus the poet can describe “Christian charity”—the charity of —as “the richest and rarest” of .
- The way Jesus Himself lived: “He went about doing ” (Acts 10:38).
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□ Tim Aka in End Game Economics: Understanding the Financial Crisis through Scripture
- “It has become painfully obvious the world is suffering under a tremendous burden of debt. From Portugal, Ireland, Greece, and Spain in the European Union, to Japan, China, and of course the United States, nations have become saddled with unstainable amounts of debt.” (8)
- “Individuals have also taken on great amounts of debt to try to attain and maintain a lifestyle. . . . Of course there are those who are truly impoverished without the necessities of life, but the majority of us have all we need for a comfortable life. Yet we don’t realize the extent to which has played a role in the creation of this lifestyle.” (8-9)
- USDTA: “Credit card debt in the USA currently amounts to a total debt of about billion dollars. The average credit card debt per credit card owning household is dollars. This is the total credit card debt divided by the number of households with credit cards. Credit card penalty fees in the US add up to about billion dollars a year.
- “Approximately million credit cards are currently in use in the United States, with credit card users having an average of cards each. There are about 176.8 million credit card users in the US. Every year, about billion credit card solicitations are mailed in the USA.
- “Students are particularly likely to have credit card debts and they are also likely to have multiple credit cards. The average credit card debt of a new graduate is dollars, with about 20 percent of graduates having credit card debts of more than dollars.” (http://www.usdta.org/credit-card-debt-in-the-usa.php)
- Romans 13:8 NLT—“Pay all your , except the debt of love for others.”
□ God in Malachi 3:10
- “The 90 Day Tithe Challenge”
- “The 90 Day 2nd Tithe Challenge”
- “The first tithe was strictly for the support of the priests and Levites [Numbers 18:21; Deuteronomy 14:22]. The second tithe [Deuteronomy 14:23, 28-29] provided either for a sacred family feast before the Lord or for a table provided by Jehovah for orphans, for the poor, and for ‘strangers’ within the land. Levites were eligible to partake of all such feasts. The provisions among Israel for the needy encouraged the practice of true religion. The apostle James expressed the same principle for the Christian church (James 1:27).” (SDA BC 1:1003)
- Desire of Ages: “Having undertaken our redemption, [God] will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work. No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift. The treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me.” (57)
“Test Me . . . Again”
We invite you to join us in spreading joy this holiday season! Please bring your unwrapped toys for children in our community to our Annual Toy Collection on December 14.
Your generosity will make a difference in the lives of children and families this season. Thank you for sharing the gift of giving!
We are collecting new or gently used musical instruments to support the creation of the Andrews Academy of Music in Cuba. If you have an instrument you no longer use, please consider donating it to help bring the gift of music to underprivileged children.
Instruments can be dropped off at the church office or at the seminary by December 9, 2024. For more information, please contact us at: careforcuba@andrews.edu, or www.careforcuba.org. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!
In the Spring 2025 semester, the Berrien Springs Parent Partnership will be offering all school students aged 8+ the opportunity to participate in a real archeological Dig right here in Berrien Springs. There is no cost for students who live in the Berrien Springs school district who attend private, public, or church schools, or who are homeschooled. Registration is from December 2 until December 13 at the Parent Partnership website.
Pioneer Operating Budget
Recently a friend of mine had major surgery on her jaw, which would prevent her from eating normal food. She lived far away from me, so I encouraged her in her recovery with texts and my prayers. When she recovered enough to be able to talk, she shared with me how well her local church had cared for her.
From the moment she went into surgery, to the days that followed, they provided her with rides and round-the-clock care. She lived alone at the time, and she had been quite concerned about the logistics, but her local church family had acted as her own family would have, making sure she had everything she needed.
They even went as far as providing her with a gift card to purchase smoothie drinks for the weeks that followed, until she could go back to eating solid food. When I think of what it means to be a church family, my friend’s recovery from surgery comes to mind.
Not everyone is blessed to live in a loving family with others in their household. When the church steps in to provide that necessary comfort and care, our faith takes on a whole new meaning! Today’s offering is for our local church budget.
As you give today, give with an open heart, and consider all the ways our own church is touching lives.
—North American Division Stewardship Ministries
Your prayers and financial support are requested for the Pioneer Youth Mission Honduras team. The team will partner with the Hogar de Niños to provide a Friendship Camp. Scott Schalk and Glenn Russell will lead the Friendship Camp for about 75 children from the surrounding community. There will also be a special camping retreat for the Hogar de Niños, something these youth have never experienced before. The Hogar desperately needs a bus. Donations should be made to Pioneer Youth Missions Honduras.
Join the Andrews University Department of Music for an unforgettable Christmas Extravaganza to welcome the season! This event will feature the University Singers and Chorale under the direction of Stephen Zork, the Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Marc Elysée, the Wind Symphony under the direction of Denisse Santos, as well as students from the piano studio of Chi Yun and string ensembles from the studio of Carla Trynchuk.
The concert will feature music favorites such as Of The Father’s Love Begotten and Patapan, scenes from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, and the ever popular Leroy Anderson Sleigh Ride.
Join us at the Howard Performing Arts Center on Saturday evening, December 7, or for a repeat performance Sunday evening, December 8. Both concerts begin at 7:30 PM For tickets and more information, visit howard.andrews.edu.
Andrews Academy Invites You to the Feast of Lights Concert
Andrews Academy will be presenting the 51st annual Feast of Lights program on Friday, December 13, 2024 at 7:00 PM. The community is invited to attend this spectacular night of music, Scripture and drama honoring the King of Kings. It is an evening of lights, bells, instruments, choral singing, congregational singing, shepherds, a Nativity scene, and the retelling of a glorious Christmas story. Chorale and Orchestra will end the program with the Hallelujah chorus. The church sidewalks will be arrayed in Christmas lighting. The program will speak to your hearts of His wondrous love. All are invited to attend this free program held at Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University.
You are also invited to an evening of popular Christmas music on Saturday, December 14, at 7:00 PM at the Howard Performing Arts Center on the campus of Andrews University. Join us for this free program as we bring in the holidays with a variety of well-known Christmas songs including a grand finale played by the combined musical groups.
Pioneer Women's Ministries invites you to share in the joy of the season by registering for this year's Advent devotionals, "Why Did Jesus Come? Going beyond John 3:16." Women and men are invited to join us as we dig deeper into God's amazing love, care, and deep desire to spend eternity with us. Devotionals will be sent daily December 1-25, 2024. You can receive a brief synopsis of each day's devotional by text and the full devotional by email by texting the word ADVENT to 269-281-2345. We look forward to sharing this blessed season with you.
Christmas is just around the corner! This holiday season, help make Christmas special for a student family by selecting a card from one of the Christmas trees at church. Each card includes a family’s list of needs and wishes—simply choose a card, shop, and deliver your items by December 15th.
No need to wrap—we’ll handle that for you! Let’s spread joy together with Belong Ministries this Christmas!