Student Life: A Trip in Time

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

This week, Living Ed students took a trip 800 years into the past. At 9:00 a.m., on Monday morning, twelve students stood in the dorm driveway waiting for Ms. Rebekah Ross and Mr. Jonathan McNair, their taxi-drivers for the trip.

A couple hours later, they pulled into the Cottian Alps in the border-region of France and Italy—actually, they arrived at Waldensian Trail of Faith located in Valdese, NC. But, for just half a day, they journeyed into the Era of Thyatira.

At this outdoor museum, they stepped into an exact imitation of the old ‘Barbi’ college where young Waldensians memorized large tracts of Scripture in secret. Several intrepid Living Ed students crawled on hands and knees into the cave where dozens of Waldensians congregated in secret, studying and singing hymns. Only a sliver of light illuminated the back of the cave. The guide explained that, one terrible day, French-Catholic soldiers used that tiny crack in the rock to smoke the gatherers out. As they crawled out, they were killed one by one.

Mr. McNair explained to the group that much of the history exhibited here was not the history of true Christians. Early on, the majority of the Waldenses were absorbed into Protestantism and the true Church faded into Eastern Europe. Driving this point home, the students passed a replica of the Monument of Chanforan, dedicated to the Waldensians official entry into the Reformation in 1532.

Mr. McNair encouraged the students to appreciate the sacrifices of these people, even while recognizing their false beliefs. He challenged them, “Would you be willing to die for what you believe in as they did?”

After driving back to Charlotte, the students jumped out of the cars and back into their modern lives at Living Education 2020. For just a day, they visited the Era of Thyatira and stepped into the shoes of the Waldensians—but just as the Church has carried on in time, so do they.

Juliette McNair headshot

Juliette McNair is a student at Living Education Charlotte. She works in the Editorial Department transcribing sermons and proofreading transcripts. She also assists Living Education by writing Second Thoughts essays and Forum/Assembly Summaries for the website. Juliette recently graduated from SUNY Cobleskill in Upstate New York with an A.A.S in Horticulture, a B.T in Plant Science, and a minor in English with a writing focus. She loves playing soccer on the beach, getting up early to watch the sunrise, and playing piano with the lights out.

Forum Summary: Festival 2020 — Like No Other

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 11 seconds.

This year, total Living Church of God Feast attendance increased 1% over last year: 11,183 members were able to worship God online or in-person.  Those who couldn’t attend in person (30% of the total) were able to connect to online, streamed services. Some governments, like Quebec, Canada, Victoria, Australia, and Trinidad and Tobago shut down gatherings, making it impossible for brethren to meet in person. 91% of members in Latin-America kept the Feast online, and, in the Philippines, members could only meet locally. Yet, according to surveys, Festival 2020 was unforgettable and meaningful to many brethren—even in some surprising ways.

Mr. Rod McNair, Assistant Director of Church Administration, gave a behind-the scenes look at the Festival Office and the Feast of 2020.

Over 10 years ago, the main Feast registration webpage was custom-built by a Church member.  The registration website encompasses “an incredibly complex process,” according to Mr. McNair. The site incorporates members’ login information, accommodates the transfer process, and grants separate festival coordinator access. Sites are chosen and contracts are signed sometimes years in advance. The transfer approval process ensures attendance is in accordance with the contract.   

Planning for each year’s Feast of Tabernacles is a constant, year-long project, only made more challenging by COVID-19. But what made this Feast stand out for members?

First, many were just glad to be there. This simple appreciation was a common theme in the festival surveys.

Second, there were unexpected blessings. Assigned seating brought ease of access, local speakers were given opportunities, and several new members attended the Feast. Anointings and common illnesses were even down.  Some few brethren did contract the COVID virus during the Feast, but most had mild symptoms.  Thankfully, those with more severe symptoms are recovering. 

A third reason is a shift in the focus of the activities. To limit large groups, Feast schedules were more relaxed and most activities were planned individually. Many enjoyed this change and took advantage of the free time to be more well-rested and focused during services

Finally, the role of technology was significant. Streaming technology benefited thousands of members in an unprecedented way. Mr. McNair says, “As a Church, we are better placed now than a year ago to be able to connect online.”

“This was by far the best Feast that we can remember.”

Florence, OR.

Every year, we seek to have “the best Feast ever.” But the feeling from the quote above was representative of many who responded to the Feast survey. Mr. McNair gave us a glimpse of how the Festival Office operates every year and how the Feast of 2020 was “a feast like no other.”

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Assembly Summary: Invest in Your Pillars

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 16 seconds.

What Are Your Pillars?

Mr. Wallace Smith is the Executive Editor for the Living Church of God. Mr. Smith asked us what pillars we use to support our worldview. We all use a particular perspective to process everything in life. But the edifice of our worldview is constructed upon fundamental beliefs. Like the columns of the Parthenon, our beliefs support our worldview.

Mr. Smith warned us that we often build our worldview subconsciously. He joked, “Sometimes, my thoughts have a mind of their own!” If we are not intentional about constructing our worldview, we will eventually find our columns to be cracking under pressure. Then we have to tear down those inaccurate beliefs. Mr. Smith told us that we need to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). If we have the right worldview, we can correctly process the many thoughts that flow into our minds. “Your worldview shapes the environment in which your thoughts flow.”

Some columns can crumble and the roof will not collapse. Others are so fundamental that when they break, the entire complex falls.

Mr. Smith gave us three pillars that we need to support our worldview:

  1. God exists
  2. Jesus is the Son of God
  3. The Bible is the inspired word of God

On these three convictions, a Godly worldview is established. Mr. Smith inspired us to invest in these pillars now when we have the time and the resources. “In the future, if your pillars are strong, you can support others when their worldview crumbles.”

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Second Thoughts: That’s Just My Personality

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated Reading Time: 3 min. 31 sec.

Have you ever taken one of those personality tests floating around online?

You can find out “Which Disney Princess Are You?” Or, in case you’re curious, you can also take the quiz “Which Vegetable Are You?” How about the Myers-Briggs personality test? These tests tap into a very human desire to want to understand ourselves. What makes me special? Why do I do the things I do? What, exactly, is personality?

Mr. Jonathan McNair asks this question in his Christian Living class. In the section “The Challenge of Being You,” we analyzed the dynamic between personality and character. Mr. McNair simplified a person into three main parts:

Disposition, Character, and Personality

“Disposition” is what I’m naturally disposed to be. How tall am I? What features has my DNA assigned me? Am I an emotional person? Even the environment in which I grew up and the one in which I now live plays a part in building me into who I am. It is the part of me that is, in many ways, out of my control.

On the other hand, “character,” Mr. McNair said in his lecture, “is knowing the right thing to do and doing it.” Character, unlike disposition, is a controlled response. It’s like the anchor. If disposition is largely personal and individually unique, the principles of character-building apply to us all. It is a common standard. Even more interesting, character tempers people’s different dispositions respectively so the end result is a unique personality.

Personality consists of experiences, actions, and attitude. It is who we are when our disposition influences our choices while our character grounds our narrow experiences with moral principles. If this is a more accurate understanding of personality, can we separate our personality from who we are, or are we that personality? If we choose to separate ourselves from our personality, are we using it as an excuse?

“Oh, that’s just my personality!”

There is a sort of group-identity struggle between extroverts and introverts. Extroverts might call introverts lazy for not participating enough, and introverts might accuse extroverts of hogging all the attention in a group. But it takes extraordinary effort for some to talk to a newcomer in the congregation. And for some of us, we have to learn to shut up and let someone else share. As an extrovert, my character is built every time I let someone else have the floor. And when introverts willingly introduce themselves to new people, are they not being led by their character, not their disposition?

How do I Raise My Personality to a Higher Standard?

The Apostle Peter is characterized by his boldness. In Matthew 16:13-19, we read Peter’s response, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter’s zeal is admirable, if misguided. When he swung his sword to defend Christ, I don’t think he intended to miss. But Peter’s disposition dominated his personality. Earlier, he even had the audacity to rebuke Jesus Christ. Eventually, his courage proved empty when he abandoned Christ to be crucified. So how did he become the servant God used to establish the Church that the gates of Hades would not overcome? God trained his personality to be led by character. His boldness became more than a natural trait; it became who he was to the core. Tempered by character, his personality grew to reflect a real courage. Ultimately, he defended Christ’s name with his life.

I am a collection of genes, experiences, and events, tempered by character. But maybe there can be more to me than who I am now. Perhaps God can create in me a better version of myself by weaving His mind into my character. Maybe, with God’s help, I can do a personality makeover. On second thoughts, it’s not just a maybe—it’s a must.

Juliette McNair headshot

Juliette McNair is a student at Living Education Charlotte. She works in the Editorial Department transcribing sermons and proofreading transcripts. She also assists Living Education by writing Second Thoughts essays and Forum/Assembly Summaries for the website. Juliette recently graduated from SUNY Cobleskill in Upstate New York with an A.A.S in Horticulture, a B.T in Plant Science, and a minor in English with a writing focus. She loves playing soccer on the beach, getting up early to watch the sunrise, and playing piano with the lights out.

Forum Summary: “Quitters Never Win”

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 1 min. 35 sec.

Mr. Dan Hall, the regional pastor of the southeastern U.S, attended his first Feast of Tabernacles when he was fourteen. Mr. Hall’s parents were called into the Church in the 1950s. He recalled, “During that early time, it was a rare thing for people to leave the Church.” But some people do leave the Church. Why?  

He began with a quote from Vince Lombardi, professional American football coach: 

“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” 

 Since the beginning, Mr. Hall explained, Satan’s modus operandi has been to incite doubt in God’s people and cause us to give up. Yet, we must learn to hang on. In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to cross the Antarctic continent. The story goes, after pack ice crushed the Endurance, he and his entire crew survived under brutal conditions for almost two years before reaching safety.  “What did Shackleton do that caused people to hang in there?” He kept hope alive for his men.  

A Dealer in Hope

Mr. Hall quoted Napoleon Bonaparte, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” A past leader, the Apostle Paul, shows us this in Hebrews 10:22-23, “Let us draw near with a true heart… Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.”  We were reminded that if Mr. Armstrong or Dr. Meredith had given up, many of us would not be in God’s Church today. Our leaders can inspire hope in us. They remind us that there’s “only one way to grow and that’s forward.” 

Mr. Hall concluded, “It’s not a matter of who gets to the Kingdom first, we’re all going to be together as a family… I want to encourage you to be winners and not quitters because quitters never win.” 

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Assembly Summary: Know Those Who Labor Among You

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Estimated reading time: 3 min. 35 sec.

This past week, Mr. Gerald Weston gave a “This Is My Life” style assembly. He began with 1 Thessalonians 5:12, relating Paul’s admonition to know and understand where our leaders are coming from. To help the students know him better, he told the story of his life.  

Early Life

Mr. Weston moved nine times by the time he turned fourteen; his father served in the Air Force. Living at the Vandenburg Air Force Base in California during the Cold War, he said, “If there ever was a war, I would be sitting at ground zero.” Mr. Weston “grew up in the shadow of the bomb.” ICBMs were regularly tested at the base. Mr. Weston’s father helped develop MIRVs, and his squadron loaded nuclear weapons onto aircraft.  

As a young man, Mr. Weston was in the Boy Scouts, the Civil Air Patrol, and Search and Rescue. He played baseball, football, swam, and ran track in high school. When he was fifteen years old, a friend on his bus gave him The Book of Revelation Unveiled at Last; he finished reading it that evening. As he read more literature, his interest in the Church grew—as did his parent’s disapproval. Mr. Weston listened to The World Tomorrow on KGO San Francisco, with his hand on the dial—ready to switch stations should they walk into his room. He began to keep the Sabbath at the local library, finishing his work around the house earlier in the week to do so. Following the food laws was a challenge in his household; on one occasion, his father was not pleased when he refused to eat the pork spare ribs his mother had made. He said, “It was touch and go every time we had unclean meats for dinner.” 

From College to the Ministry

Finally, in 1964, he moved out to attend Ventura College. “The first thing I did was call up the minister.” After attending for only one Sabbath, he kept Atonement and then observed his first Feast of Tabernacles. The following year, Mr. Weston went to Ambassador College. He came to know Mr. Armstrong as a student in his “Principles of Christian Life” class.  Mr. Weston explained that he could not claim to be close to him personally. “He wouldn’t know me today,” he said, “But I do know how he thought on many different things.” Mr. Weston met his wife at Pasadena when she transferred from Big Sandy. Then, after graduating AC in 1969, he was hired to serve in the ministry.  

On March 11, 1995, nine years after Mr. Armstrong’s death, Mr. Weston gave his last sermon in the Kansas City congregation of the Worldwide Church of God. He asked three questions: Why are there such massive changes? Where is it heading? What should we do? After getting fired from the Worldwide Church of God ministry, he looked for where God was working and found Dr. Meredith continuing the Work in the Global Church of God. “That’s where the Work was being done and the flock was being fed.” He explained to us that we may one day have to make a decision that will affect the rest of our life and beyond—a choice between following our friends or following the truth.  

Over the years, Mr. Weston has lived in Houston, Texas; Lake Charles, Louisiana; Monroe, Louisiana; Michigan; Asheville, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Canada; the U.K; and finally, Charlotte, North Carolina. As a pastor in the Worldwide Church of God, he and his wife served at the youth camps in both Minnesota and Texas. In Global, he was asked to assist at the camps in Missouri and North Carolina. Then, from 1998 to 2008, he served as director of the Living Youth Camp in Michigan. 

Mr. Weston advised us to learn from history and people’s perspectives to understand what happens today. He encouraged us to “know those who labor among you.” 

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Student Life: A Common Enemy

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Living Education students woke up to a brisk 39-degree, sunny Monday morning. Daylight saving time brings the sun an hour earlier, filtering through the women’s dorm windows at 7:15 a.m. By 7:55 a.m., all the girls are rushing around their kitchen, packing lunches, making coffee, and grabbing book-bags. Often, at about 8:15 a.m., you’ll see three cars filled with Living Ed students trailing each other on East Independence on the way to the Headquarters office.

Harmony Talbott | Student Video Editor for Living Education

Occupying the thoughts of the students this week is an assignment due soon: six teams of two were assigned a 60-second video submission on one of the “Seven Laws of Success.” Mr. McNair notified the students that these segments will be compiled and edited into a seven-minute video by Harmony Talbott, his student-employee this year. The goal of the video is to present practical applications of these seven laws in daily student life. If the students create quality work, it will be posted to lcgeducation.org.

When asked about her part in the project, Harmony replied, “I’m looking forward to creating a video with more of a story-flow that connects everything with good transitions.” She says that the challenge will be “having everybody communicate and work together so viewers can make sense of the finished product.”

The students already have had to work together to brainstorm and decide on the over-all flow of video. But clear communication and teamwork will be required in the next few days as they nail down their individual ideas and record their segments. This video, like the program as a whole, is a mechanism. The assignment to cement the seven laws of success in the students minds and to practice working together against a common enemy: a deadline.

Juliette McNair headshot

Juliette McNair is a student at Living Education Charlotte. She works in the Editorial Department transcribing sermons and proofreading transcripts. She also assists Living Education by writing Second Thoughts essays and Forum/Assembly Summaries for the website. Juliette recently graduated from SUNY Cobleskill in Upstate New York with an A.A.S in Horticulture, a B.T in Plant Science, and a minor in English with a writing focus. She loves playing soccer on the beach, getting up early to watch the sunrise, and playing piano with the lights out.

Forum Summary: An Unshakeable Core

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

“What if everything changed instantly?”

Mr. Phil Sena, pastor of several congregations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio, presented the students with this question at the beginning of his forum. He explained that at some point, our lives will become drastically more difficult than they are now. “You may not want to live through the “beginning of sorrows,” but you cannot change the times in which you live. You can control your response.” 

Esther was a young woman thrust into a situation entirely out of her control.

Yet, she rose to Mordecai’s challenge. “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place” (Esther 4:14). She didn’t run. Esther became “one who influences positively,”—Mr. Sena’s definition of a good leader. After seeking the people’s and God’s support, she made her choice: “I will go to the king… If I perish, I perish!” (v. 16)

Mr. Sena stated that a leader’s ability comes from “an unshakeable core.”

We build our core by making decisions. God used Esther to do His Work—to deliver His people. “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (4:14) Mr. Sena explained that a young person’s example has far-reaching implications. “You represent the Kingdom.”  

We don’t have control over the times in which we live, but we can control our response. Mr. Sena inspired us to learn from the story of Esther: accept the challenge, become a leader, do God’s Work. 

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Forum Summary: “Dating, Courting, Attraction, and Engagement”

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Est. reading time: 1 min. 30 sec.

Mr. Paul Kearns, an area pastor in New Zealand, introduced himself by relating to the students his experience as a Living University student at the regional Church office in Adelaide, Australia.

He said his experience was, “one of the greatest periods in my life.” With the LU motto of “Recapturing True Values” in mind, Mr. Kearns redefined dating, courtship, attraction, and engagement.  

Dating, Mr. Kearns explained, is not “a dirty word”…

but a “non-romantic opportunity to serve somebody of the opposite sex.” Through dating widely and avoiding pairing off, young men and women serve each other and learn.  

In today’s world, courtship is an old-fashioned, meaningless term.

Courting occurs when two people date exclusively towards engagement. This stage requires maturity to cope with the emotions that accompany it. Mr. Kearns shared a piece of advice he had received from Mr. Bruce Tyler, “The right thing at the wrong time is still the wrong thing.”  

Mr. Kearns asked, “Should there be attraction in dating?” 

Attraction, the force by which one object attracts another, is a physical pull in the world around us. For us, attraction should not be the motivator in dating; serving should be. In courtship, while attraction is good, there should be more that attracts us than looks. 

Mr. Kearns concluded with the term, engagement.

This stage should not be a “cooling off period” in which we re-evaluate the deal—it is a formal decision to marry and a stage of relationship God treats seriously.  

By redefining these terms, by God’s standards and not our society’s, Mr. Kearns hoped to help the students recapture true values in their relationships. 

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.

Assembly Summary: Living a Life of Creativity

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Est. reading time: 1 min. 17 sec.

“How much have you exercised creativity in your life?” Mr. Jonathan McNair asked in today’s assembly.

We watched a YouTube video of Ben Folds, singer-songwriter and record producer, build an orchestral piece in ten minutes inspired by a random sentence in a brochure. This is the ability of a single individual working with 120 musicians to create unified, harmonious sound out of practically nothing.  

Mr. McNair then took us to Genesis 1. The creativity of God uses elements of design, power, beauty, and sound mechanics. God constructed the systems of our world through His creative genius—from vast environments and specific ecosystems, to different animal species and their complex social behaviors. But as we saw in the Folds’ video, we have inside us this desire to create. 

“Have you asked God to help you develop your creativity? If you haven’t, you need to ask—not just for playing video games or entertainment but for a productive, creative skill God can leverage in your life in service to others and for your own good.” Mr. McNair said emphatically, “It doesn’t happen magically.”

He gave three principles to apply to develop this:  

  1. Use proven patterns 
  2. Get the little things right 
  3. Work in harmony with others.  

If we live a life of creativity, we exercise a quality of God Himself—a quality placed in us for the very purpose of creation. 

This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts