Mr. Richard Ames, in the final forum of the 2022-23 Living Education–Charlotte year, gave the students instruction in protocol.
In our world, there are certain standards that we adhere to, depending on our environment. Mr. Ames called this system of standards GIPS: Guidelines, Instructions, Procedures, and Standards. We can follow guidelines others set before us in our childhoods, our marriages, etc. There’s an etiquette we follow in our communication with other people. Mr. Ames recalled that, during his time in the military, before God called him into the Worldwide Church of God, this was especially important. What expectations do people have for us in terms of protocol, and what expectations do we have for other people?
Types of Protocol
Protocol can be defined as an expected standard of conduct, or as a premeditated procedure followed in certain situations. For example, when a football player in the NFL suffers a concussion, the protocol for when they can begin playing again is typically at least nine days later. Mr. Ames said that he had to learn about the strict procedures he had to follow to be on the air during his first job as a radio announcer. Airline companies also have safety protocols for when something goes wrong during a flight, which have saved several lives since the initial innovation of aviation. One way to organize what to do during these protocols is to create a checklist. This is what an airline follows when an emergency arises, and they can be incredibly helpful for keeping track of routines you want to follow.
Basic Keys to Loving Your Neighbor
Have an Attitude of Respect
Mr. Ames quoted Dr. Roderick C. Meredith, saying, “Every human is precious in God’s sight.” We need to treat others with respect. Philippians 2:3 tells us to esteem others higher than ourselves.
Choose Words of Respect and Courtesy
Mr. Ames listed five simple phrases we can use every day with each other to show respect and courtesy:
● “Thank you.”
● “You’re Welcome.”
● “Please.”
● “I’m sorry.”
● “How may I help you?”
These phrases will help us to get along with other people.
Follow Biblical Instructions
“When all else fails, follow instructions” is a common phrase. Mr. Ames said that it really should be, “To prevent failure, follow instructions.” The Bible gives us tons of lessons on how we should manage our conduct:
● Obey your leaders (Hebrews 13:17).
● Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21).
● Let your “yes” be “yes,” and your “no” be “no” (Matthew 5:37).
● Don’t use corrupt words (Ephesians 4:29).
● Seek wisdom (Proverbs 2:1).
Our world today is becoming a confused mess, and that is because people aren’t following the protocols that God has set before them. It’s important that people prove to themselves that God exists and that the Bible is the word of God. With that, they can learn biblical protocol through His statutes and instruction. Practice godly protocol—it will ensure you an abundant life!
Nathan Kroon is a Student Leader at Living Education. He originally hails from Washington State and is a 4th generation Christian. Currently, he works at Headquarters as a Video Editor and is the Lead Landscaper at the LivingEd dorms. His hobbies include playing guitar, listening to music, drawing, and watching movies.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/city-life-g3bbf4470e_1920.jpg10001500Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2023-05-25 09:00:002023-05-19 15:40:04Godly Protocol: Loving Your Neighbor
Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23
Estimated reading time: 4 min.
Mr. Michael Heykoop gave a stirring presentation on radiant faith.
Mr. Heykoop began his forum by recalling when he first read the Sevenfold Mission of God’s Church, articulated by Dr. Meredith in the Living Church News article “The PURPOSE for God’s Church.” He recalled there was one mission that made him stop and think—the seventh, the mission to build an atmosphere of radiant faith. Why does the faith of others matter when we are judged based on our individual faith?
Mr. Heykoop explained that radiant faith creates an inspirational environment in which people are prepared to do the work of God. After all, we are inspired by the faith of those in Hebrews 11 and examples throughout the Bible. Clearly, the faith of others does impact us. He then explored what the Bible says about radiant faith.
The Power of an Atmosphere of Faith—and Lack of Faith
The Bible shows that an atmosphere of unbelief has consequences. Mr. Heykoop pointed to the example of Christ in Nazareth, where He did no mighty works “because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). He also referred to the story of Caleb and Joshua, who showed personal faith in God—but the Israelite camp as a whole had a faith-choking atmosphere that led to disobedience and punishment. The Bible specifically warns that lack of faith infects a group. God instructed Israel to send only fearful, fainthearted people home from its army (Deuteronomy 20:8), so that their fear wouldn’t spread. Clearly, the faith of the person next to us is important!
The Bible also shows that a single individual’s faith can be used to inspire others. Mr. Heykoop turned to the story of David and Goliath. Goliath taunted the Israelites 80 times before David answered the challenge—but this certainly would not have happened by the end of David’s reign! By then, we read of numerous mighty men. These men likely would have lined up to fight Goliath. David’s personal example of radiant faith, over time, came to be reflected throughout Israel.
Reassuring Faith
The faith of the group can also affect the individual. Mr. Heykoop turned to the example of Elijah. He began reading the account of Mount Carmel and the encounter between Elijah and the false prophets of Baal. As Mr. Heykoop said, this is “one of the most visually inspiring miracles of the Bible.” In this miracle, Baal’s prophets cry out for hours to no effect, but a short, 30-seconds-or-so prayer by Elijah causes God to send fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice. Yet even after this, Elijah is afraid and his faith is weak! Elijah fasted for forty days and was still afraid to go back to Israel. Mr. Heykoop showed that it wasn’t until God told Elijah that there were still 7,000 men following God—still faith in Israel—that Elijah got back to work. And after this, Elijah and Elisha perform some of the most profound miracles in the Bible. In this case, the faith of others in Israel encouraged and strengthened Elijah.
Six Challenges to Take On
Mr. Heykoop underscored the importance of an atmosphere of radiant faith. “We’re not judged by the faith of others, but the faith of others is a phenomenal tool we can use to grow.” We should hear the stories of miracles and blessings in the lives of our brethren and use them to grow our own faith. Mr. Heykoop then gave six challenges to the Living Education students to help build an atmosphere of radiant faith.
Pray for the mission of God’s Church.
Pray for the needs we see in God’s Church. Sometimes we can fulfill the needs of others, but often all we can do is pray about them.
Pray for the leadership in God’s Church. Israel refused to follow its leaders—Moses and Aaron—but we can do better. We should pray that God will guide our leaders’ decisions.
Pray about what we are asked to pray about. We should take announcements seriously, and we should maintain that fellowship with each other by praying for one another.
Participate—get to know people. We can’t radiate faith to others if we never interact with them. We should fellowship with others, meet others, and inspire faith through interactions.
Act with faith. We must live by faith to build our faith. We should make consistent plans to step out on faith, doing the right thing even when it’s hard, and give others the chance to be inspired by our faith.
Mr. Heykoop concluded by stating, “It is essential we not just have individual faith, but an atmosphere of faith.”
Rod McNair gave a forum recently explaining the psychological benefits of growing and tending to plants. Read about that here: Grow Something.
Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/DSC04953.jpg10001500Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2023-05-23 16:46:382023-05-23 16:46:41Build an Atmosphere of Radiant Faith
Living Education hosted the second annual Disc Golf Tournament, featuring fantastic food and lots of fun.
This year, Church families and young adults came out bright and early on a sunny Sunday morning. The Living Education students led the disc golf tournament by organizing teams, helping people to navigate the course, and tallying the final scores. After the tournament, everyone enjoyed a lunch of potato salad, coleslaw, freshly grilled corn on the cob, and chicken legs and thighs.
Disc Golf: A Team Sport?
The disc golf tournament was a team-based event, and the teams were selected in an interesting way. Two Living Education students led each team, making six teams altogether, and then the participants chose which students’ team to join. Thus, the students were encouraged to come up with a fun team name and theme to draw as many people as possible.
Two of the six disc golf teams
As the game progressed, students tallied their score by recording the number of throws it took each person to get the disc into the basket. Like in regular golf, a low score is a good score. To help their team members navigate the sometimes-confusing disc-golf trail, the students arrived an hour early and walked through the trails. Also, rather than use all 18 holes, the tournament was limited to the first six holes. Each team would start on a hole, and then rotate around, allowing for continuous play.
A team in action on the disc golf course
All the teams were done after about two hours, and the Director—Mr. Jonathan McNair—announced the winners. The first award was actually a surprise—the award for the team that hit the most trees. That award was won by team 2—Ellie and Kezia’s team—who managed to hit a tree-mendous 60 trees (for context, my team hit 15 trees total). The team with the lowest average score was team 6—Nathan’s team—which scored 28. Par for the six holes was 20, so this team was only eight points over (for context, my team scored 31, and the highest scored 45). Team 6 received their spectacular award of free Living Education pens for all and a single Living Education mug—to be divided amongst the winners, of course.
Mr. McNair announcing the award and two other pictures
An Impeckable Lunch
After announcing the awards, Mr. McNair unveiled the food. During the tournament, he had been was grilling on his charcoal smoker, preparing some egg-straordinary chicken and a-maizing corn on the cob. All of the guests and students flocked through the food line and corn-sumed the provisions. Then, the activity wrapped up, kindly giving the students a free afternoon to do homework. The second annual disc golf tournament was a fantastic event, a total hole-in-one! We look forward to hosting the third annual disc golf tournament next year.
Pictures of impeckable food about to be corn-sumed
Just before this, the Living Education students adventured the trails for an exciting mountain biking activity. Read about that here: The Wheel Deal.
Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/LE-Disc-Golf-23-36.jpg10001500Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2023-05-19 12:00:002023-05-18 22:48:09A Ri-disc-ulously Fun Sunday!
Mr. Dexter Wakefield, Director of Business Administration in the Living Church of God and teacher of the Biblical Communication class at Living Education–Charlotte, has always had an affinity for airplanes.
It started in his youth, when he would build model planes and ride in planes that his father piloted. “He only had to pull me out of a dive a few times,” he said, jokingly. He has had a pilot’s license since the 1980s, and now primarily flies gliders, which requires an extra certification. He occasionally will briefly discuss his flights with the students in his classes. By popular demand, he gave the students a forum about his adventures in flying and on certain principles of flight.
Intro to Gliders
Gliders, also known as sailplanes, are capable of climbing thousands of feet into the air. Mr. Wakefield showed this illustration to the students to show them all the different parts of the glider:
The airfoils on the craft are designed to keep precise airflow over the glider’s surface. When the wind and the angle of the airfoils produce lift, drag is also created. The ratio of lift to drag is important, and depends on the weight of the plane. Low performance planes generally have a lift-to-drag ratio of 20:1. Medium performance planes will function at 30:1, and high performance planes do well at 40:1 to 60:1.
Thermal Dynamics
Gliders require a tow plane to perform a takeoff. Once in the air, gliders will typically use “thermals” to pull them higher. Thermals are columns of rising air, caused by warmer air temperatures on the ground. The heat being produced from the ground causes the air to destabilize, form a bubble, and create a column of rising air. The released moisture from the air forms into clouds, and this tells the pilot where the best lift can be found. Mr. Wakefield stated that he has flown with eagles and buzzards. Birds will fly in a circle in the thermals. Pilots learn to fly with the circle, not against it.. Thermals are stronger towards their middle, so pilots will try to fly in the center of the thermal.
Mr. Wakefield getting ready to fly
Flying High
Mr. Wakefield said that pilots can also fly through what are called high altitude waves, but they need clearance to be able to fly above 18,000 feet in them, because above that altitude is controlled airspace. It’s also necessary to wear an oxygen mask above 12,000 feet. Mr. Wakefield took high-altitude training at an Airforce base, back when they would train civilian pilots. One thing that they will teach you is that, above 25,000 feet, you have about three minutes of useful consciousness. At 30,000 feet, it’s about only about 30 seconds. This is why they instruct adults on airliners to put an oxygen mask on themselves first, before they put one on their child, in case of an emergency. High altitudes can make a person feel great, at first, but they can cause a brain to function poorly. Fingertips and lips will also begin to turn purple. One of the better parts of flying high, Mr. Wakefield stated, is slowing down enough to stall speed. When you enter a speed lower than stall speeds, the plane will stop flying and start falling. However, pilots are taught how to pull out of a stall if one occurs, so Mr. Wakefield will let the plane enter a series of dives, and then safely pull up, allowing the ride to feel like a roller coaster. Being a pilot can be a lot of fun!
Nathan Kroon is a Student Leader at Living Education. He originally hails from Washington State and is a 4th generation Christian. Currently, he works at Headquarters as a Video Editor and is the Lead Landscaper at the LivingEd dorms. His hobbies include playing guitar, listening to music, drawing, and watching movies.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/pexels-pixabay-163289.jpg10001500Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2023-05-18 09:00:002023-05-10 09:54:05You Can Soar Like an Eagle
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hourglass-gb015c0a67_1920.jpg10001500Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2023-05-17 09:00:002023-05-16 08:44:03Eras in the Old and New Testament
Don’t squander your Spiritual Inheritance! Embrace it instead.
Mr. Phil West spoke for a forum, and he informed the students that they had a Spiritual inheritance from both God and their parents. He warned them not to scorn it by expounding on a powerful parable and encouraged the students to cherish and embrace their incredible inheritance.
An Inheritance from Our Parents
Phil West began by asking how many of the students came to the Church through their parents. He then informed those who had that their parents had fulfilled Proverbs 13:22 by giving us an inheritance. “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”
But what is our inheritance? It is something far greater than riches: God’s truth. Mr. West continued by saying that our heavenly Father also promises an inheritance, one we will receive if we heartily serve God (Colossians 3:23-24). But we have a choice to make: Will we embrace these inheritances or scorn them? It is up to us to choose to listen to our parents and to choose to serve God.
A Biblical Example
The Bible has a stark example of squandering an inheritance. Mr. West turned to Luke 15:11—the parable of the prodigal son. He explained that the son demanding his inheritance while his father was still alive was disrespectful, but not unlawful. The father, no doubt gravely concerned, let his son go. The son then went out and wasted his inheritance on prodigal living, not respecting the work his father had done to give him these possessions. Young people raised by parents in the Church can do the exact same thing as the prodigal son if they leave the Church, disrespecting the inheritance of spiritual truth their parents provided. And it doesn’t end well.
A Lesson for Us
In the parable, the prodigal son did not end up with the glamorous life he no doubt imagined. Instead he ended up poor, hungry, in servitude, and friendless. Similarly, those who leave the Church end up in slavery in Satan’s world and spiritually starving. Mr. West warned the students not to “test” the world. There is nothing but “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16), which will leave us spiritually hungry and morally exhausted. Ultimately, the prodigal son “came to himself” (Luke 15:17), stopped living in denial, and recognized his pitiful state. When it comes to those who leave the Church, Mr. West explained, we hope they come to themselves one day and return.
The Choice and the Consequence
At this point, the prodigal son decided to return (Luke 15:18). But none of his suffering and pain had been forced on him. Mr. West compared the parable with the story of Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel were raised the same, taught the same values, and given the same chances to succeed. Yet Cain refused to listen to God, control his emotions, and rule over sin. Cain made a choice to ignore God. Abel, on the other hand, offered a more excellent sacrifice of righteousness and is remembered as righteous (Hebrews 11:4). One son chose to follow God and one did not. Similarly, the prodigal son did not have to squander his inheritance. He could have embraced it like his brother. Instead, he chose to despise his inheritance, leave, and then suffer the consequences.
Embracing Your Inheritance
As the prodigal son returned, his father embraced him and forgave him (Luke 15:20). Through the story, Mr. West explained, the prodigal son had changed so much. First, he had been disrespectful and demanding, but now he was humbled and appreciative. His father embraced him, just like God is always there to forgive, help, and encourage us. But there is a key lesson from this parable: don’t be like the prodigal son. We can skip the suffering and mistakes by choosing to follow God and not squander our inheritance.
Concluding, Mr. West read, “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). He warned us not to chase after wealth, lust, or the temporary things of this world while we are young, but rather to embrace our spiritual inheritance and make the most of it.
Mr. Adam West also gave a forum recently. In his forum, Mr. Adam West explained the value of living a simple life in a chaotic world and gave practical tips for simplifying. Read his forum here: Simplify Your Life.
Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.
Read about this year’s tree-mendous mountain biking activity!
The Living Education–Charlotte students geared up for an exciting experience—a midweek mountain-biking adventure at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte! As the name clearly suggests, the Whitewater Center is famous for its biking trails. Kidding! Every year, at least one student thinks that the activity is whitewater rafting and not biking. However, the center does have over 50 miles of trails available for mountain biking, hiking, and running.
Raising the Stakes
The bike trails are ranked by difficulty—green means “easy,” blue is “more difficult,” and black is “very difficult.” Having mercy on us, Mr. McNair picked a green trail, but easy is a bit of a relative term; it still took concentration and precision to ride on the narrow trails with steep turns and sharp hills.
Students survey the green trail
To make things a little more interesting, Mr. McNair divided the students into three groups and gave them a task to complete: ride a three mile trail around a lake and take group pictures at specific points. He marked the trail map and selected team leaders who had to make sure that the group was in the right spot, adding a little map-reading challenge to the mix.
Student leader team at checkpoint 1B-team at checkpoint 2
For a few students, this was their first time getting off the beaten path on a bike. It was certainly challenging learning to ride between the trees, rocks, and roots, but everyone got the hang of it, without too many crashes. By the end, we were all enjoying the thrill of cruising between trees, over hills, and through bumps.
A-team at checkpoint 3Student leader team at checkpoint 4
The team leaders did a nifty job navigating the trails and taking pictures at the right spots. When the challenge was done, the students had the chance to ride a few more trails around the Whitewater center. After several hours, the Living Education students packed up and headed home, pretty exhausted but with shared memories of a great new experience!
The last exciting event for the Living Education students was a music recital at a senior care center. Read about that here: 2023 Music Recital.
Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.
Mr. Kenneth Frank spoke to the students of Living Education – Charlotte about something that pertains to all of them: youth.
First, he mentioned that “the Bible is big!” It contains a total of 66 books—39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Inside, it addresses God’s commands for people of all age groups. An important thing to understand about the people of these ancient times is that they had a different idea of “youth” than we do today. It was defined by strength and vigor, rather than simply age. Benjamin, for example, was called a youth at the age of 30. Joshua was also called a young man at the age of 40. In the times of the Old Testament, you could go to war at 20, as well as be taxed. The book of Proverbs has a lot to say to young people. “Man” is the most used word in the book, and “Lord” the second most. It emphasizes heavily the relationship between man and God, making it an important read for young people. What imperatives can younger people learn from the whole of the Bible?
Study
As we get older, we gain wisdom. Unfortunately, this means that younger people are more likely to be led astray in their morals and beliefs, especially in this day and age. Psalm 119:9 tells us, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” If a young person is consistent in their Bible study, they will have a better chance of staying strong in the faith. Memorizing scripture is beneficial to us, as well.
Praise God
In the words of Psalm 148:5, “Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created.” It’s important that we praise God. After all, He has provided us with countless blessings in our lives—some that we may not even think too much about. Sometimes, in our prayers, we may get too swept up in making our requests known to Him and forget to make praise to Him. We should follow the example of the model prayer found in Matthew 6. Notice how the requests (“Your kingdom come. Your will be done”) are sandwiched in between praises (“Hallowed be Your name…. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever”). Follow the structure presented to us directly from Christ!
Honor Your Parents
To “honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12) is the Fifth Commandment, which Paul called the “first commandment with promise” (Ephesians 6:2), because God promises that our lifespan will be increased if we follow it. Mr. Frank stressed that we should especially make the effort to honor them while they are still alive, because our Creator did not intend for people to live forever physically.
Fear God, Trust Him, and Seek Him
“Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing” (Psalm 34:9-10). If you fear God and diligently seek Him, He will make you prosper! Hopefully, you are throwing your entire life into God’s hands. If you serve God your whole life, you will understand things most people are not able to. Seek wisdom and a godly way of life. Proverbs 8:1 says, “Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice?” Notice the use of the word “her.” Wisdom is personified as one of the two prominent “women” of the book of Proverbs—the other being a crafty harlot (Proverbs 7), representing the ways of the world. Which one will we allow to influence us? Let it be godly wisdom!
Rejoice in Your Youth and Put Evil Away
Many young people today are more likely to suffer from depression and other mental illnesses, in part because of overexposure to things like social media. As was stated earlier, younger people are more likely to turn away from a godly way of life. Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 tells us:
“Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity.”
Ecclesiastes 11:9-10
The earlier we diligently seek God in our lives, the more we will spend our lives rejoicing. After all, youth is temporary, so why spend it in sadness and regret?
Forget the Shame of Your Youth
People are often deeply ashamed of the sins that they committed in their youth. The Bible tells us we are not to be ashamed of sins that we have since repented of, as is seen in Isaiah 54:4: “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth.” Those that have a hard time getting over past sins should know that God will not hold those sins against them if they repent.
Bear the Yoke of Responsibility
God is good to those who choose to bear godly responsibilities, enduring in them until the return of His Son. As we read in Lamentations 3:25, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.”
Be Sober-Minded
In Titus 2, we read about some of the qualities of a sound Church. Paul exhorted young men to be “sober-minded.” Some younger people fail to see the importance of taking their life seriously, and suffer the consequences because of it. A sober mind draws us closer to our Father.
Submit to Spiritual Elders
Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5 that younger people should submit to their elders, keeping a humble mind and attitude, “for ‘God resists the proud.’” Those who still have the strength and vigor of youth should not think of themselves as greater than those who are older and have a depth of understanding younger people have not yet attained.
Overcome Satan
In the same chapter in 1 Peter, Satan is described as “a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” He will not hesitate to corrupt anything he can get his hands on. Therefore, we have to be strong in order to fight back. How can we make ourselves stronger? Mr. Frank tied his last point back to his first: study! We should never fail to come back to our spiritual relationship with our Creator. Biblical study must be personal, so that our one-on-one relationship with Him grows stronger daily.
God did not omit certain age demographics from His instruction. If we consider ourselves young, we should take these points to heart! If they do so, young people can truly achieve great things for God.
Nathan Kroon is a Student Leader at Living Education. He originally hails from Washington State and is a 4th generation Christian. Currently, he works at Headquarters as a Video Editor and is the Lead Landscaper at the LivingEd dorms. His hobbies include playing guitar, listening to music, drawing, and watching movies.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/pexels-helena-lopes-745045.jpg10191500Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2023-05-11 08:00:002023-05-09 15:11:55Biblical Imperatives for Young People
On the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), seven weeks after the first omer of the harvest had been presented to God, two loaves of bread were to be offered to Him (Leviticus 23:16–17). These two loaves were different from normal meal offerings in that they were leavened. What did these two different grain offerings symbolize? Why were the two loaves at the end to be leavened, and why were there two loaves offered on Pentecost?
The Living Education students heard a presentation from Dr. Roedolph Opperman, a systems engineer who worked on NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover.
In his forum, Dr. Opperman covered the accomplishments of mankind in exploring space, how the human body reacts to space, and the vastness of God’s creation. This summary gives a glimpse into Dr. Opperman’s fascinating forum.
What Has Mankind Done?
Over 50 years ago, mankind slipped the surly bonds of Earth and set foot upon the moon. From there, man shifted his focus to Mars, flying numerous missions to the Red Planet and landing robotic explorers on its surface. These accomplishments required tremendous effort, thousands of people, and brilliant minds. Dr. Opperman showed a video titled “7 minutes of Terror” that depicts the intense challenge the rover Curiosity faced when landing on Mars. There were seven minutes from the moment the spacecraft carrying Curiosity entered the atmosphere to the moment the rover touched the surface of Mars, and it was an extremely complicated seven minutes, involving parachutes, rockets, and precise maneuvering. And it all had to happen without any human control. It takes 14 minutes for a signal to get from Mars to Earth. The Rover was on Mars for seven minutes before NASA even knew it had entered the atmosphere. All they could do was hope for its successful landing.
Curiosity survived its automated landing, and so did Perseverance, a rover almost identical to Curiosity (see actual footage of Perseverance landing on Mars). The Perseverance Rover also carried with it a little partner robot: Ingenuity. This explorer is not a rover, but essentially a remote-controlled helicopter. It is the first powered aircraft to fly on Mars! Since 2021, Perseverance has taken over 300,000 pictures of Mars, traveled 7 miles, and taken 43 soil samples. Ingenuity has flown over 50 times and now helps scout locations for Perseverance to explore.
Perseverance Rover with Ingenuity in the background on Mars
Perseverance and Ingenuity represent the latest in NASAs missions to Mars and are major success stories. Dr. Opperman himself worked on the Perseverance mission as a member of the fault protection team. But not every mission succeeds. All countries combined have attempted 43 missions to Mars, and less than half were successful. While the Perseverance mission shows the progress mankind’s space ventures have made, man has more ambitious plans for the future, like colonizing the moon and even Mars.
Human Beings Are Not Designed for Space
The Artemis program currently aims to put man back on the moon by 2025, hoping to pave the way for “colonization” of the lunar land. But Dr. Opperman emphasized the critical fact that the human body is simply not suited for space. He explained that the lack of gravity creates issues for fluid circulation and leads to muscle atrophy and bone mass loss, even with intense exercise.
And there are bigger issues than zero-gravity, like radiation. Dr. Opperman explained that sun or intergalactic radiation is a major threat to humans, and there is simply no good solution for protection! In fact, the previous Apollo missions were miracles themselves as they all occurred during periods of low radiation. But months of space travel would make a lethal radiation event a statistical inevitability. As Dr. Opperman said, “We are mere fleshly human beings; we are ill-equipped to explore the universe in our current state.”
What Has God Done?
Mankind has walked on the moon and sent robots to Mars, yet our accomplishments are nothing compared to God’s. “Our best efforts can barely scratch the surface of exploring this incredible universe that an awesome Creator made by merely saying the word,” said Dr. Opperman. The fact is that God created everything, including the sun, the earth, and the universe as a whole, and mankind’s achievements are comparatively tiny.
A World Made Just for Us
Planet Earth is a massive miracle, mystifying skeptics. It is exactly the right distance from the sun—in the “Goldilocks zone”—and this makes life possible. Here, water in all three phases and mild temperatures and conditions allow for complex molecules. Additionally, Earth has an axis tilt that makes seasons, an ozone layer that protects from ultraviolet radiation, and a strong magnetic field. Even the other planets in our solar system, like Jupiter, protect Earth from comets and asteroids. And the Earth is only the beginning of God’s awesome creation.
How Big Is the Universe?
Dr. Opperman shifted his focus to the universe as we know it, and the enormous scale in which it exists. The sun is absolutely massive—it could fit around 1.3 million Earths inside of it—and reaches temperatures of 27 million degrees Celsius in its core. And the Sun is vital to Earth for its heat and light. Light itself is not only specifically listed as a creation of God (Genesis 1:3), but also is an essential part of how we observe and explore the universe. We use light to determine composition of celestial bodies through spectroscopy, to determine distance through trigonometry, and to see if a celestial body is moving toward us or away from us via red-shift/blue-shift. We also use light as a scale for the universe’s size. Light is the fastest moving mass or energy, traveling at around 186,000 miles per second. For context, light can travel around the Earth seven-and-a-half times in a single second. If a light particle/wave traveled for a year, it would go 5.88 trillion miles! To understand the scale of a trillion, Dr. Opperman gave this example: If we were to go back in time one trillion seconds, we would find ourselves in 30,000 BC!
But in the vastness of the universe, even light seems slow. The nearest galaxy to the Milky Way is 2500 light years away, or 14,700 trillion miles! The scale of the universe is impossible for humans to comprehend.
The universe is not just overwhelming in size, but also in beauty and structure. The more we learn from instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope, the more beauty we see in the massive galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters. The more we learn about the massive universe and its trillions of stars, the more impressive Psalm 147:4 is: “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.”
The Universe and Us
The universe is so large that humans really cannot comprehend it or travel it. The fastest matter or energy can go is the speed of light, and that requires thousands of years to reach even the nearest galaxy. While we, in our current state, are not suited for such vastness, Dr. Opperman highlighted that spirit beings can move instantaneously, not limited by physical laws. Thus, the expanse of the universe awaits us as our inheritance. Dr. Opperman concluded by saying that there are trillions of planets estimated in the universe—even more than the number of stars—and maybe these planets are reserved for the future members of God’s Family!
Mr. Ames gave a forum talking all about the amazing planet that is Earth and how unique it truly is in the universe. Read about that here: Is Earth a Privileged Planet?
Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.
