FLORIDA:: Philadelphia Church of God—Thirty-five Florida Central and Florida South members of the Dade City Spokesman Club held their third ladies event club meeting on April 21 at the Bok Tower Gardens. The gardens, a National Historic Landmark in the city of Lake Wales, were founded in 1929 by Pulitzer Prize-winning author
Edward W. Bok.

President Ron Davis opened with a question often asked by Herbert W. Armstrong: “Why are we here?” He answered, “We need to become educated kings and priests.” Topicsmaster Howard Lieberman’s question were inspired by Bok Tower Gardens’ attractions, including the Singing Tower, which holds 60 cast bronze bells.

After the first half evaluation and a boxed lunch toastmaster Ray Mowell introduced five speakers, relaying the club manual’s purpose for each speech.

Assistant director Iain Harper concluded the meeting with a lecture about the history and value of Spokesman Club, referencing a September/October 1998 Philadelphia News article by Preaching Elder Gary Rethford: “Why Spokesman Club.” Mr. Harper reminded attendees that just as God inspired Mr. Armstrong to raise up Ambassador Clubs and Spokesman Clubs to support His Work through His end-time Elijah, there is an apostle today who needs the club’s support. Mr. Harper left his audience with the question, “Do you value club the way God does?”

The meeting ended with fellowship and a group photo. Many spent the remainder of the sunny afternoon listening to the 205-foot Singing Tower’s carillon performance and strolling the beautiful 50-acre gardens.

The twister formed rapidly just prior to 3:00 in the afternoon and touched down southwest of Oklahoma City. For about 40 minutes, it blew through Newcastle, Moore and the southern part of the city with winds reaching 200 mph before it roped out over a lake in the southeast metro. The EF-5 storm, which was 2 miles wide, left behind a swath of obliteration 20 miles in length.

Aerial photographs showed parts of the path of destruction strewn with the confetti of obliterated building materials, belongings, vehicles and destroyed infrastructure. Green fields were streaked with brown where the winds ripped up grass blade and root, and lowered the elevation by a few inches. Rescue workers navigated debris-littered and almost-impassable streets to get to the areas hit the hardest among the 30-square-mile aftermath.

PCG headquarters, 20 miles north of the carnage in north Edmond, received a short burst of rain but no wind or hail. Flights were delayed for some ministers and for Herbert W. Armstrong College students who departed today to serve on Dr. Eilat Mazar’s Ophel excavation in Jerusalem. Although no Church members were harmed or received property damage, their thoughts were with their thousands of neighbors to the south who bore the violence of the tornado. Heartbreaking live footage showed Plaza Towers Elementary School minutes after the storm. Half of its walls no longer existed, and debris covered what roofs remained. Survivors were slowly walking through crushed concrete, twisted steel and unidentifiable debris littered with textbooks. A vehicle lay upside-down in a hallway, two feet from where a teacher—who survived—had been standing.

A mother who was walking down the street, dazed, told a reporter that the storm hit her house as she, her husband and her daughter sheltered themselves in the bathtub underneath a mattress. The suction ripped the mattress away and lifted her daughter, whom she held on to by her hair.

The super-storm—one of the worst in history according to President Barack Obama—instantly became national and international front-page news. Overnight, 101 victims were pulled from the rubble, alive, by rescue crews from all over the area. Today, the president declared the aftermath a major disaster area. Flags on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., flew at half-mast. Gov. Mary Fallin addressed Oklahomans and the nation.

The instantly infamous May 20 storm followed tornadic weather that reached into southeast Edmond the day before and momentarily knocked out power on campus at Armstrong Auditorium. It tracked an extremely similar path to the May 3, 1999, F-5 tornado that hit 8,000 homes, cost more than $1 billion in damage, and killed 36 people.

The PCG’s news analysis site, theTrumpet.com, offers a perspective on the disaster, and a booklet that proposes an answer to what is now a burning question for anguished parents, family members, neighbors, friends and viewers worldwide: Why ‘Natural’ Disasters?

Photo: Sgt. 1st Class Kendall James (Oklahoma National Guard)

ZIMBABWE :: Philadelphia Church of God—A special Harare Spokesmen Club meeting commenced April 21 with cheers and applause as Edmark Kwanayi entered the meeting hall with his date, Journey Sithole, on his arm. Fifteen Spokesman Club members and nine ladies attended this first “ladies afternoon” of the year, held at Rest Haven Retreat, a highly anticipated event that lasted three hours.

In the words of Loveness Gandawa, “if only we could have more of these ladies afternoons.” Her husband, Innocent, was the topicsmaster and presented eight topics for discussion, including questions such as, “Did Pope Benedict XVI really retire because of ill health?” and “How did you get to know your date?” One of the answers to the latter question was, “I had gone to pick up a parcel where my wife-to-be worked, and when I got there, I got more than the parcel.”

After a lunch interval, the second half of the meeting featured five speeches. Saraboy Chisina was awarded the “most improved speaker” trophy for his speech, “Set Goals and Strive to Achieve Them,” while Alex Patrick Matemadombo received the “most effective speech” trophy for “Top Five Benefits of Aerobic Exercise.” The other speech titles included “Leadership,”  “Why Repentance” and “Diamonds—Gift or Curse?”

Assistant Pastor for Africa George Githembe, the club director, evaluated the session and then delivered a lecture in which he asked, “Is there something holding us back, as Christians, husbands, wives, from being that perfect bride?” Club members and their dates finished the event taking photos and chatting. According to Harare Deacon John Rudolph, Sr., who organized the event, “It could not have been better.”

Jesus Christ really puzzled the disciples—often. Yes, He was a brilliant teacher. His command of the scriptures, which He spelled out with authority, amazed not only the disciples but also the crowds of people who followed Him. Even the brightest temple scholars were impressed by His instruction. Yet the disciples were continually confused.

Finally, they came to a unanimous decision. It was time to ask Christ why He taught the people the way He did. They looked for an opportunity to get Him alone for their question.

One day, the disciples followed Christ out of His house to the seashore. The group hoped this was their chance. Yet as they approached the waterfront, they saw a huge crowd waiting for Jesus. To be able speak to them all with enough volume, Christ got on a ship and sat down facing the multitude standing on the shore: “Behold, a sower went forth to sow,” He began (Matthew 13:3).

Jesus Christ taught the people many things in the same manner He always did. The 12 grew frustrated as they listened. When Jesus stopped His instructions and the people returned to their villages, “the disciples came and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?” (verse 10). Jesus looked intently at the men He had grown to love so much, and “He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given” (verse 11). Read that verse again and let it sink in deep.

I was born and raised in the Roman Catholic Church. We were not Bible readers, or studiers. At age 23, I had been married for over a year and was just months away from becoming a father to my first child. Unfortunately, I was thoroughly confused about religion.

I saw real problems in a large segment of the leadership of not only my own church, but also the leadership of most all organized Christianity. I had spent time in several different denominations. I had questions but couldn’t get the same answer from the different ministers I met. I desperately wanted to know the truth. At one point I became discouraged—I lost hope of ever finding the truth.

Then, I turned to the Bible to look for answers. While reading the Bible one day, this passage in Matthew 13 exploded off the page. I was in a state of shock reading what Matthew had written. Do you get the meaning?

No Soul-Saving Campaign

Jesus Christ came to this Earth with a message from God—His Father’s gospel (John 3:34; 7:16; 8:28; 15:15). He taught thousands of people—huge crowds followed after Christ. Yet He concealed the deep meaning behind what He taught from all but a very few. During his 3½-year ministry, Jesus unlocked the full meaning of the gospel for His disciples only.

During my find-the-right-church excursion, I attended several Evangelical meetings. I saw many people give their heart to the Lord, speak in tongues and get saved. However, when I read through the four gospels, I realized that Jesus Christ didn’t conduct any meetings like I had witnessed.

It became clear to me that Jesus Christ made no attempt to save the world at the time of His first coming. And I learned, from the Bible, that Christ is not trying to save the world today. But when He does start saving the world, the vast majority of human beings will be saved.

If Christ did not, and is not, making an attempt to save the world, can any human being be saved at this time? The tremendous meaning behind the feast of firstfruits, or Pentecost, gives us the answer.

On a recent date with my wife, I asked her, “Knowing what you know after being married for 14 years, what’s one lesson you’ve learned that would be good advice for singles who hope to marry?”

After a moment’s reflection, she uttered three profound words that I must share with you. The more I thought about it, the more they resonated with me.

Her advice: Don’t be offended.

She explained how, over the years, she has learned what an important key this is to a successful relationship: not to allow little things to get her hackles up.

When her spouse (whoever he is, the jerk) does things that would tend to get under her skin, she reminds herself that he is in all probability not actually doing that specifically, intentionally, to make her life miserable. Deep down he wants to be kind and considerate. (I think this is probably true—I’ve met the guy.) So, she sets her mind on that. She looks on his heart and lets the offense waft away and pop like an insignificant little soap bubble.

Let me say, emphatically: This is first-class advice for all of us. But I do think it is especially relevant and helpful for you singles.

Does it come as a revelation to you that wives—and husbands too, I hasten to add—have to put up with nonsense of some variety from their mate from time to time? I’m sure you would say no, that doesn’t surprise you at all.

But I’m not so convinced you actually believe it.

Being overly sensitive and taking offense is all too easy. We feel entitled to certain treatment. We uphold certain expectations about the way others should look, act and speak. We can be judgmental. We can fixate on others’ mistakes and flaws.

It’s human, isn’t it? Someone might have a lovely face, but all we can see is the big wart on the end of the nose.

It is human. But remember: God is trying to shape us into something more than merely human.

1 Corinthians 13 gives us a glorious, under-the-microscope view of God’s magnificent love. These are the qualities that make God’s Family so harmonious and functional and joyous and wonderful. The attributes of God that we need to develop if we want to be part of that eternal Family.

Among these traits is the fact that God’s love is very patient, very kind, never irritated, never resentful, always eager to believe the best, always hopeful and always patient.

That is what God is. That’s the way He is toward you—and thank God that He is! That is what God’s love is.

What about you? Are you that way with other people? Patient and kind? Never irritated or resentful? Always positive, hopeful, eager to believe the best?

I didn’t think so.

Me neither. But I’m working on it. (And I will say this, as an aside: Being married and having children helps me work on it.)

In many of the conversations I’ve had with singles in God’s Church, I have noticed a tendency to take offense and/or to lose interest in somebody over some pretty piddly issues. Oh, let’s just name a few. His laugh is obnoxious. She makes noise with her jaw when she chews. He asked me on a date by texting me. She was interested in someone else a while back. He’s too serious; I need someone with a sense of humor. She’s a little feministic for my tastes. He’s not assertive enough. I’m looking for a woman who’s more into sports. He doesn’t make enough money. She’s too quiet. He’s too opinionated. She’s too tall. He’s just not attractive to me. Sorry, but I just can’t see past that wart.

I’m not saying that none of these things are problems, or should never pose an issue. I’m saying that if that is what you focus on, and decide in your mind, Well, this relationship is never going to go anywhere, so—what’s the point?—then you’re making a mistake.

If you are like most singles, you have a list. You probably haven’t written it down—it’s just up in your mind, maybe tucked way in the shadowy part in the back. It has the names of other singles in the Church—singles that you have mentally “crossed off.” For one reason or another, you’ve decided that things couldn’t possibly work out between you and these people.

So, to be honest, you treat them differently. You don’t give them the same level of attention or respect.

Let me make a suggestion:

Throw away that list.

Why has God called out only a small number of people now as part of His one true Church? Why have only they been given His Holy Spirit, which remains inaccessible to the rest of mankind? Is God playing favorites? Is this the only day of salvation? The day of Pentecost gives us the answers to all of these questions.

God’s firstfruits should have a special view of the day of Pentecost because this holy day pictures them. More than any other day, this holy day—a day of smoke, thunder and lightning—shows their place in God’s family plan. On this day God gave His law and His Holy Spirit. On this day God made it possible for you to be part of the bride of Christ—a firstfruit in His Family.

Let’s review the fantastic history of the day of Pentecost.

The Law and the Holy Spirit

The Bible tells us that God gave the Ten Commandments to ancient Israel with a dazzling display of thunder, smoke and lightning: “[T]here were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled” (Exodus 19:16).

Then God Himself descended and “mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly” (verse 18). What an awesome display of power! Imagine the profound effect this must have had on the children of Israel. Having just been freed from their captors in Egypt, they must have been deeply moved.

What sort of effect would this display have on your life?

In reality, those people never even made it out of the wilderness. That entire generation, except for two people, died in the wilderness, having broken God’s law again and again.

Only a few hundred years later, the entire nation of Israel was enslaved again, having totally rejected the commandments God gave it. The identity of l0 tribes was lost. The Israelites failed as a nation, having broken the law God gave them in such a fantastic display of power. In fact, that law that they failed so miserably to keep was given to the Israelites at their first Pentecost. If not for the fulfillment of the wave sheaf offering, we would fail just like they did!

In Acts 2, we read about the first Pentecost the disciples kept after Christ’s ascension to His Father. Like the delivery of the Ten Commandments, there was an awesome display of power: There was a rushing mighty wind, there were tongues of fire, and all that were gathered near heard the disciples speaking in theirown language (Acts 2:2-12). The Holy Spirit was sent to the disciples.

There is one verse that actually defines what the Holy Spirit is: “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy [Spirit] shall come upon thee, and the power of the hightest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35; see also Acts 1:8). Here Luke calls the Holy Spirit “the power of the Highest:” There is no biblical reference to the Holy Spirit as a third member of the Godhead. Rather, with the Holy Spirit you have access to the very power of God!

This giving of the Spirit was not meant to replace God’s commands—far from it! The Holy Spirit enables us to keep the Ten Commandments, and not merely in the physical way that ancient Israel tried to do. Jesus Christ magnified these commands for us and then gave us the power—His power—to obey!

He said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:21-22).

By Sharalee Fraser

EDMOND :: Philadelphia Church of God—Twenty-four smiling faces beamed from the Armstrong Auditorium stage as 13 sophomores and 11 seniors graduated on Mother’s Day, May 12. The graduates hailed from Canada, England, Zimbabwe, the Philippines and 10 American states. Eleven of the 13 sophomores are continuing their education with the four-year program, and four of them have landed in Jerusalem for Phase 2 of Dr. Eilat Mazar’s Ophel Excavation over the summer.

The commencement exercises included the first Imperial Academy graduate to complete the college’s four-year program: Katherine Harmon. It also represented the eighth senior class to graduate from Herbert W. Armstrong College and the first to hold its two- and four-year ceremonies in Armstrong Auditorium.

The graduates have a variety of post-AC plans in the works. Six of the 13 graduating seniors will move to field congregations this summer. After the excavation phase ends in August, Justin Bacon will move home to Arkansas where he hopes to work in the public school system teaching history.

Jessie Beezley will return to Hesperia, Calif., and use her training in the foreign translation sub-department to look for a desktop publishing job. Elizabeth Blondeau will continue working for Foreign Translation before moving to Australia in August, where she hopes to work as an administrative assistant. Rebecca Palmer is moving back home to England and wants to be become a certified teacher.

Ryan Friesen has been re-hired as a machinist—with a raise—at his pre-AC employer. He will return to his home province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Fellow Canadian Laskey Hart will move to Toronto, Ontario, where he plans to work in cellular communications business development.

Reniel Padua, the 2012-2013 student body president, will continue to work in the online marketing department for one year, before returning to the Philippines.

The rest of the graduating women plan to also remain in Edmond: Monica Antonio hopes to build on her work experience in the publishing department and find a job in graphic design; Michelle Cuenco wants to get full-time work as an administrative assistant or get two part-time jobs; Katherine Harmon plans to work and save up for a year to study to become a massage therapist. Alisha Miiller has already started working a part-time job as a banquet server at a Devon Tower restaurant in downtown Oklahoma City and is looking for additional part-time work.

The senior students say that they’re excited to apply their AC education outside of the classroom.

“I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned outside of a college setting. I’ve never experienced life outside of school,” Cuenco said.

“[I’m] looking forward to giving AC back to all those in the congregation,” Harmon said, “and building on the foundation that was laid during these past four years.”

The seniors, along with assistant dean of student Eric Burns and his wife, Laury, are on their senior trip, visiting Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Jerome in Arizona before driving to California where they’ll visit Hesperia, Huntington Beach and Lime Street Park.

The recital begins at 7 p.m., CST, and should last about two hours.

You can watch this event live at:

live.pcog.org

Page 2 has the program for the evening so you can follow along as you watch. The program is subject to change.

Don’t miss out on this chance to see the fruits of the Imperial Academy music program—live!

I saw it again just recently at the grocery store. Down the aisle, a child wanted something off the shelf; her mother told her “No.” The child was not happy with the decision and she let the entire store know—“pitching a fit” would be a mild description. Had I not witnessed the whole thing, I would have been running to the child to save her from suffering major harm to her person. As it turned out, I hurried to get away from the embarrassing scene.

Several aisles away, I could not only hear the little child still screaming, but I could hear her telling her mother why she was wrong to not let her have what she wanted. I asked myself, Who should I feel more sorry for, the parent or the child?

What do you think?

What I witnessed at this store was not a one-off occurrence. It happens regularly in many public places, with a majority of families. Disobedient, unruly and foul-attitude children are a plague across the globe. The fulfillment of Isaiah 3:12 stares us in the face and shouts in our ears.

Family life—two loving parents rearing happy, loving, positive, productive and obedient children—is vanishing right before our eyes. Can anything be done about it?

Yes! And it starts with us, the members of God’s Church. We are—or should be—experts at building loving obedience in our children.

Obedience: The Whole Duty

I am very thankful that God brought my wife and me into His Church within a year of being married. Our first daughter, Rachel, was born about four months after my wife was baptized. We had the wonderful advantage of God’s revealed knowledge on proper child rearing from the very start of our parenting career. For us, raising children has been wonderful. We have loved every day of it, even the tough ones.

I can honestly say that it was rare that our children disobeyed us in public. Why? We taught our children to obey us—everywhere. God taught us, through Herbert W. Armstrong’s teachings and Gerald Flurry’s example, that the overall goal of child rearing is to teach children loving obedience toward parents and authorities like God’s ministers. Child rearing is not meant to make things convenient for adults. God designed it to ensure every child achieves his or her incredible human potential.

Loving obedience means that your child comes to love you so much, that he or she wants to obey you, even when they disagree with you. Anyone can enforce strict, unquestioned obedience—like an animal trainer does a dog.

However, only God’s people, using the child-rearing principles found in the Bible and the power of God’s Holy Spirit, can produce lovingly obedient children.

King Solomon, one of the wisest men to live on earth prior to Jesus Christ, wrote: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). This verse gives us the bedrock foundation for all proper child rearing. God put man on Earth—into Satan’s evil clutches—so we could learn the importance of obeying Him. Satan and his demons are proven rebels. They chose to be wickedly disobedient to God ages ago (Isaiah 14:12-14; 2 Peter 2:4). Satan failed to maintain the government of God on Earth and destroyed the angelic opportunity to help God rule the universe.

God plans to re-establish His government on Earth through human beings. Through the conversion process, all men will have the opportunity to prove their willingness to obey God. Jesus Christ set the perfect example. Formerly the Eternal God, He came to Earth, lived as a human being and learned obedience (John 1:1-14; Hebrews 5:8). He overcame Satan’s well-established, disobedient lifestyle, qualifying Him to rule the world and the universe (Revelation 3:21). We must do the same.

This is the reason why teaching obedience to your child is so important. When you teach your child to lovingly obey you, you are preparing your child for conversion. This is an incredibly serious responsibility. Teaching obedience is labor-intensive, time-consuming, blood-sweat-and-tears hard work. Yet, the vision of where child rearing takes your child makes it worth all the effort.