Tag Archive for: Featured

Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education 2021

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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 15 seconds.

“How many of you have heard the phrase, An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?” Mr. Mike DeSimone joined the students in the Living-Ed classroom and gave an interactive Assembly. He said that this saying doesn’t only apply to preventing future disasters. “I want to talk about the actions we take now and the impact they have on the future.”

An Ounce of Effort Now—Or a Pound Later?

Using the newly-installed whiteboard on the wall behind him, Mr. DeSimone drew a diagram of a lever with a tiny weight on one side, labeled “Now,” and a large weight leveraged on the other side, labeled “Future.” Small actions today, with just an ounce of energy, can accomplish things worth a pound of energy later in life.

Christ Prepared for the Church of God

Luke 2:41-52 gives the account of Christ lingering in Jerusalem and His parents returning to find Him. They found him asking questions and listening to the teachers in the temple. He told His parents, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”  Mr. DeSimone explained that, at twelve years old, “He was preparing Himself to begin the very Church of God and train the apostles to continue the Church and preach the Gospel for the next thousands of years.”

Ezra Prepared His Heart

Ezra was given the opportunity to lead his people back to Jerusalem. But only after he “had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD” [Ezra 7:10]. Ezra prepared himself but didn’t necessarily know that he would be called to lead the return. Mr. DeSimone stated, “What you do now may even provide opportunities in the future that will not be there if you don’t prepare.”

Fix the Issue in Stage 1

Mr. DeSimone used the example of the cost to fix an issue with an iPhone. During the assembling stage—Stage 1—it might cost one hundred dollars. At Stage 2, when it is a finished product, that same issue costs 1,000 dollars to fix. And at Stage 3, when it’s shipped, the cost is 10,000 dollars. “This is the value of fixing a problem early… If this was life pain, issues, or troubles, how much would you rather spend taking care of that?”

Areas of Preparation

Mr. DeSimone covered five areas of preparation by posing questions and discussing various answers. “What can you do now to prepare for your future spiritually?” One student answered, “Fasting.” Through the right actions, like fasting, the right trajectory is set. He asked, “What are some ways you can prepare for a family?” A student raised his hand and replied, “For men, learning leadership.” Next was, “How can you prepare to be loyal to the Work and the Church?” Someone volunteered, “By learning how to explain the truth to non-Church members.” One answer to, “How can you prepare for your future career or life-work?” was, “By staying educated in your career.” Mr. DeSimone nodded, “Whatever you’re doing, you need to continually educate yourself—relentlessly.” Finally, Mr. DeSimone asked, “How can you prepare for your future financially?” One young lady raised her hand and said that you must, as she learned from Mr. Jerry Ruddlesden’s Christian Finance course, live below your means. 

“Everything we do now is leverage for the future—every life-choice and every habit… The way you spend your time now influences the way, when opportunities come, you are prepared.”

The nobleman’s servants, in Christ’s parable (Luke 19:11-17), didn’t know what their reward was. But when they realized that their small minas could bring entire cities as rewards, they must have thought, as Mr. DeSimone interpreted, “I should’ve put in more—all I needed to do was do it right then.” The minas represent “all the things we have control over now.” Our actions now determine our future. Mr. DeSimone concluded, “As much as you prepare yourself now for the future, you will reap greater rewards.”

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education 2021

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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes, 16 seconds.

Modern science claims matter and energy are the two fundamental elements of life. “But,” Mr. Richard Ames said, “there’s another factor: intelligence.” Mr. Ames played the documentary Unlocking the Mystery of Life for his Assembly. In this documentary, scientists argue that intelligent design is undeniably present in nature. Mr. Ames asked the students to consider this question as they watched the video: “Why should intelligence be a foundational element of science?”

“If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.”

– Charles Darwin

Irreducible Complexity

Irreducible complexity is the idea that a biological system could not have evolved through tiny, incremental developments because the system itself cannot be any less complex to operate. This concept is clearly seen in the functioning of the tail-like organ called a flagellum on a bacterium. Flagella can spin at speeds up to 100,000 rpm. Just like an outboard motor on a boat, these natural propellors have gears, a stator, rotor, u-joint, driveshaft, and propellor—in total, they have 40 different parts. Evolution must explain how this system can be built gradually when the system only works when each part is functioning. The biologist Jonathan Wells explains that natural selection “selects only for a functional advantage… so if you had a bacterium with a tail that didn’t function as a flagellum, chances are natural selection would eliminate it. The only way you can select for a flagellum is if you have… all the pieces of the motor in place to begin with.”

Life Requires Instructions

The video introduced Dr. Dean Kenyon, who wanted to answer the question: “How did life begin in the first place?” He theorized that amino acids assembled themselves into proteins millions of years ago through chemical attraction. A student challenged him on how amino acids could assemble without instructions from DNA. DNA regulates the sequences and shapes amino acids need to form to create proteins. Dr. Kenyon found he couldn’t explain how amino acids had formed proteins without any instruction from pre-existing DNA. Furthermore, natural selection, by definition, needs existing organisms to operate. The issue of the origin of DNA is a major challenge to evolutionary theory.

“Science ought to be a search for the truth about the world… when we come to a puzzle in nature, we ought to bring to that puzzle every possible cause that might explain it. One of the problems I have with evolutionary theory is that it artificially rules out a kind of cause even before the evidence has a chance to speak, and the cause that’s ruled out is intelligence.”

– Paul Nelson

Design Reasoning

When archeologists discover ruins or when tourists see Mount Rushmore, they assume an intelligent mind was responsible. William Dembski wondered why. He established two reliable criteria for determining whether something was designed or not: small probability and specification. It’s highly improbable erosion carved faces into Mount Rushmore. The specific patterns of the faces are also recognizable. This speaks to design. From computer software to words scratched in the sand on the beach, people take intelligent design for granted all the time—without needing to be present when it was done. Scientists even monitor outer space for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. If a highly improbable, specifically patterned signal was intercepted from space, researchers would declare extraterrestrial intelligence existed. Yet, the microscopic world of a single cell exhibits these same signs of intelligence and the possibility of intelligent design is rejected out of hand.

Mr. Ames stopped the documentary when the assembly time ran out. He encouraged the students to finish the documentary in their own time. The visible world may consist of matter and energy, but every component—from Mount Rushmore to bacteria flagella to the genetic code in living cells—reflects intelligence in its functioning and origin. The documentary Mr. Ames played proved that intelligence is as elemental to science as DNA is to the natural world.

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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.

Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2021

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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 16 seconds.

“Put your trust in God, and keep your powder dry.” – Oliver Cromwell

Dr. Richard Franz, the area pastor of the Illinois and Missouri congregations, said, “While trust in God is our ultimate duty, it doesn’t rule out our responsibility to work hard and prepare diligently.” In his assembly, he reminded the students of the importance of what they do today to prepare for tomorrow.

“If we’re waiting for the absolute perfect conditions to do something in life, it will never happen.”

The lives of those God has called now are not dress-rehearsals. True Christians cannot afford to kill time. Solomon wrote, “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap” (Ecclesiastes 11:4). Dr. Franz explained that while a farmer cannot control the weather, the longer he takes to do his planting, the longer the harvest is put off.

Decisions and Discipline

“There are two necessary ingredients to making each day a masterpiece: Decisions and discipline.” Discipline without good decisions results in constant but aimless movement, while decisions without discipline are not sustained. Theodore Hesburgh said, “Don’t make decisions because they are easy… cheap… [or] popular; you make them because they’re right.” Then after a decision, discipline must be exercised. Dr. Franz held up a “Wash Away Your Sins” bar of soap as a prop—change does not come after one washing. Decisions and discipline are required for success. But how can these principles be applied daily? The students were given eight keys to making today matter. 

Managing Today

First, take responsibility for your attitude. If you are wronged, “gird up the loins of your mind” (1 Peter 1:13) and move forward. When you are not treated with a good attitude, instead of denying any fault, Dr. Franz advised, examine yourselves to see if you in any way caused that wrong attitude.

“With all things equal—or sometimes unequal—attitude wins.” 

Repent of your bad attitude. Paul said, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11). Decide to change. We can’t change everything, but we can change our attitude.

The third key was: “Find something positive in everything.” Dr. Franz pointed out that one can grumble as much on the inside, without saying a word, as verbally out loud. God also teaches Christians how to think, not complaining, but dwelling on true, noble, and admirable things (Philippians 4:8).

Fourth: Project your future. Like pole-vaulters who envision every moment of their race and jump before they compete, envision and conduct yourself like the person you want to become. The students were encouraged, “Transformation takes time. That’s why today matters.”

Don’t be a walking Brillo pad.

Fifth: Place a high value on people. It isn’t possible to dislike people and maintain a good attitude simultaneously. Christians should not be “like walking Brillo pads, scouring everyone they touch.” Rather, “value others above yourself” (Philippians 2:3).

“Remove negative phrases from your vocabulary.” Negative vocabulary about yourself, others, and your situation reinforce bad behavior. “It lets us off the hook.” Instead, think “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Seventh: Develop a strong attitude of gratitude. Dr. Franz explained that gratitude is not a matter of sophistication but perspective. He quoted Zig Ziglar, the famous motivational speaker, “The more you are grateful for what you have the more you will have to be grateful for.” That doesn’t mean you get more—it means you see more of what you already have.

Finally, “If you want to change tomorrow, you’ve got to start today.” Time is the most precious resource. While time can’t be changed or controlled, Dr. Franz said, “You can change your priorities.”

“Start today, because today matters.”

Trust in God is fundamental, but Christians also have the responsibility to “keep our powder dry” daily with discipline and decisiveness. Dr. Franz dared the students to not get distracted by things out of their control but to take ownership over the changes they can make in their lives now—today.

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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.

Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2021

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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 3 seconds.

Mr. Stephen Elliot is the Area Pastor of New Mexico and Arizona. In his Assembly, Mr. Elliot shared with the students a broad sketch of what it was like in Ambassador College (AC) and the Worldwide Church of God. “I recognize that to you and even to me that’s ancient history, but I want to put it into perspective for you.”

Some Perspective

Mr. Elliot’s father was the first Church member hired as a teacher at AC. He was hired in 1949 when competitive and political issues were beginning to arise from employing non-members as instructors. He became the first Dean of Students and was head over the campus grounds. In those early years, Dr. Meredith babysat Mr. Elliot. In 1947, only four students attended the college, but by the mid-60s, when Mr. Elliot attended, both the Big Sandy and Pasadena campuses had grown to around 500 students each. At a college reunion years later, Mr. Elliot found that most of his peers had left the Church and were glad they had been “liberated” from what they now considered a cult. There were around 1200 ministers in the 1980s—nine out of ten have since left the Church. By the late 90s, ninety percent of the membership had left the Church, with the remaining ten percent split now between almost 500 different organizations. Mr. Elliot asked, “How could we all have been taught the same things, grown up believing the same things, and most of us drift away?”

Do You Want the Answers?

After college, Mr. Elliot shared how he became disillusioned by Church politics and poor examples and stopped attending. But after he got married and his family began to grow, he returned. “I came back for a very selfish reason. I knew the Church had the answers and I wanted those principles for my marriage and family… The world was no longer shiny and glossy.”

God provides answers to life through His Church. “This is the reason that I stayed in the Church—not because people are perfect. Everyone is flawed, and no matter how hard we try, we are going to fall short. God only calls humans.” Yet there are always those who don’t want answers—they never get better, and they don’t change. While it is easy to become anxious about those who are not concerned with improving their lives, Mr. Elliot shared some sound advice he had gotten in the past: “Why are you worried about them? They’re not.” This is not meant to be cynical but real. Each person must choose to seek the truth individually. “It isn’t really selfish to want the answers to this life—it’s why we’re here.”

“You should experience struggles.”

Mr. Elliot said, “What do I wish you to get from your Living Ed experience?” Years ago, Mr. Armstrong instituted a rule that students being considered for the ministry had to have attended AC for at least two years—why? So that they had practiced the right way of thinking and the right way of living. You don’t need Living Ed to become educated, but it is an opportunity to learn a way of life. “It’s not always easy—you probably will experience some struggles. I hope you will because if you’re not, you may not be taking this way of life seriously… Before we have anything to teach others, we have to practice it ourselves. We have to have a track record.”

A Way of Living

Mr. Elliot concluded the Assembly, “Out of seven and a half billion people, God chose to call you. At Headquarters, you have an opportunity to know how the Church works. Living Education is not all book-learning—you can get that anywhere. It’s about a way of living.”

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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.