Mountain View Conference

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“And [Jesus] said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3, KJV).

When I was a boy, my grandfather used to say, “If you can put salt on a bird’s tail, you can catch the bird.” He would then hand us the saltshaker, and off we children went for hours of fun that brought joy and laughter to the adults watching from the porch. Needless to say, we wasted lots of salt and could never get close enough to those illusive birds.

Story by Valerie Morikone

Donald West (known as DW) was born and raised in Parkersburg, W.Va. When he was 9, DW and his parents, Don and Leona, joined the Parkersburg church.

DW began attending Parkersburg Academy and was soon involved in Pathfinders, youth leadership, music and even preaching. After sixth grade, DW attended public school. Five years later, a calamity in his family resulted in him leaving the Seventh-day Adventist Church. “I began to follow my dreams of becoming a rock star,” shares DW. Amber, DW’s wife, was born and raised in Kanawha, W.Va. “I grew up with my father showing me the simple ways of life,” she says. “At a young age, I told my grandmother and mother that I had Jesus in my heart and wanted to be baptized.”

“Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time” (Heb. 9:28, KJV).

In this Bible verse, the phrase “look for” means to “wait eagerly.” The Greek translation is made up of three parts: apo (away); kara (head); and dokeo (to await). The literal meaning is very similar to a spring turkey hunter. It means to wait with the head outstretched. The prefix, apo, is a turning away from everything else, with your head raised and your eyes fixed on a single object or an object to come.

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“So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs’” (John 21:15, NKJV).

Have you ever wondered how to love someone even after they hurt you? After the death of Jesus, some of His disciples, including Peter, went fishing. They had spent almost all night with no success. Early in the morning, an unknown man on the shore told them to throw the net on the other side. Confused, they did. At that moment, Peter immediately knew it wasn’t an ordinary person; it was Jesus. He couldn’t contain his excitement after seeing all the fish, and he jumped out of the boat and swam to shore to see Jesus.

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“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon” (Ps. 92:12, KJV).

As David poetically writes this Psalm dedicated to the Sabbath day, he uses verse 12 to instruct us on how to grow. He states that the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. This is no ordinary palm tree; it is a date palm, known in Hebrew as “tamar.” The date palm is tall and slender and stretches upward of 75 feet. This incredible tree grows amid the drought of the desert. It vigorously plunges its roots into the earth until it reaches the hidden waters beneath the surface. As a result, it is able to produce large clusters of fruit, about 100 to 200 pounds each year.