Blog

By Jeremy Goins

My name is Jeremy. I stand at 6 feet 6 inches, and on February 24, 2013, I weighed 360 pounds.

I’ve never had a reason to fear or dislike numbers; in fact, I love numbers and data. However, I stopped using a scale because I couldn’t face the numbers under my feet. The larger they became, the smaller I felt. I ran from cameras, usually volunteering to be the photographer instead. Mirrors were banned from my home, except for one that I could use to shave, and even then I could only see my neck and shoulders. Whenever I saw an accidental photo of myself I sunk a little deeper into my depression while showing the smiling, joking me that I present to the world. Some of you will identify with what I’m saying, and that’s the only reason I’m exposing this part of me to the world. Some of you eat when you are sad, bored, lonely, etc. Some of you eat “just a little treat” and forget about it an hour later when another “little treat” crosses your path.

You may eat and not realize you’ve been eating until you’re halfway into your food. I know because I’ve been there. I’ve spent many nights alone, finding comfort in food away from a world I made myself believe was full of enemies and opportunities I couldn’t enjoy because of my size.

I know just a little bit about losing a lot of weight and I’m going to tell you the secret . . . no, the truth of my weight loss:

I decided to stop spending energy on my excuses and started spending it on my results. A Google search returned 59 million entries for “Weight Loss Diet.” It screams at you to give up now, and come back again later when the numbers aren’t so demanding. But there’s a solution.

What worked for me included cutting the excuses and sticking to a reasonable diet of 50 percent produce, 25 per- cent lean protein and 25 percent grain. First, I needed to say goodbye to my old friends. Mine were iced honey buns and sweet tea (I’m a good ole Southern boy). This hurts and you feel like you’re missing out on something that brought you joy. But after about three or four weeks, I stopped craving junk food. After a few more months, the idea of fast food made my stomach turn.

The final truth is that I failed along the way in my weight loss journey so many times.

I cried.

I loathed every healthy-weight person in the world. I looked for reasons why I couldn’t possibly lose weight to absolve myself of the responsibility.

I cried.

I felt so much frustration that I couldn’t wear clothes as well as others could. I was constantly reminded that I didn’t fit into the image of what is desirable and therefore was un-dateable and would always be alone.

I cried.

Then one day I stopped crying, and stopped getting angry or frustrated at the world. I simply let those feelings go like feathers into a breeze. I decided to push harder, to strive to be stronger and faster. Then I did it again, and again, so on and so forth. This entire cycle repeated itself and it hurt every time. I fell many times, but got very good at getting back up.

Finally, one day my world changed. It was July 7, 2016, the day before I was to compete in my first rodeo. I had dropped the weight, coming in at 212 pounds. None of my jeans were going to fit well enough to stay on me. I was nervous about shopping for new jeans, and encouraged myself that I could certainly fit into a 38 waist. That was only four sizes away from my size 34 waist goal.

The salesperson encouraged me to try on a pair of 33 waist Wranglers. They fit me well.

I cried.

–Jeremy Goins is the cancer registry supervisor at Littleton Adventist Hospital in Littleton, Colorado.

By Craig Carr

To be a pastor is a privilege and a calling and an honor. The life and work of a pastor involves an incorporation of the heart, mind, and soul. The preparation for and practice of ministry brings together the personal calling of the heart, the formal education of the mind—as well as professional employment—and the pouring of one’s soul into the challenges of pastoral leadership within a local church.

Like many other vocations, undergraduate and graduate degrees serve as preparation for pastors to meet the common expectations of the job with excellence and proficiency. However, once deployed in the full time practice of ministry, there is much more to be discovered under the title of “pastor.” These are a few of the hidden realities that many pastors face while doing their very best to serve the Lord in the context of pastoral ministry.

1. The pressure of living up to members’ expectations. Pastors may look like they have it all together, but beneath the smooth, public persona reside the same insecurities that every human faces. Sure, most pastors love the practice of preaching and teaching and telling funny stories and engaging in conversation. But what about the difficult sermon topics that must be addressed and the un- popular leadership decisions that must sometimes be made?
2. The high expectations we place on ourselves can be draining. A pastor’s fear of failure is real. The misnomer that you’re “only as good as your last sermon” represents the evaluation pastors submit themselves to every week. Sometimes we allow insecurity to cause us to become overprotective of our reputation and our position.

3. The temptation to please others is strong.

For many pastors, there is a strong temptation to do that which will bring them affirmation and approval, both personally and professionally. Sometimes doing what’s best for the church is not the most popular thing, and living with the fact that you will disappoint some people can be difficult. When it comes to criticism, it’s far too easy to allow a few negatives to overshadow many positives. I remember preaching my heart out one Sabbath only to be greeted at the back door with the comment, “Maybe someone should show you how to iron your shirt properly.” However ridiculous and trivial a criticism may be, it can still have an affect on the heart of a pastor.

4. The pastor’s children and spouse feel the pressures of expectations. Whether self-imposed or kindled by others, the pressure to be the perfect example is unfair and unbiblical. Not every church still expects the pas- tor’s spouse to play the piano, teach Sabbath school, and attend every church event, but there can be other kinds of pressure that create strain. For a variety of reasons, the role of pastor can often be a lonely one, especially if their young children do not sit motionless on the front pew in perfect silence. And for PKs (pastor’s kids) there must be safety, acceptance, and a personal interest taken in them—just as if they were any other young person in the church.
5. The feeling of accomplishment is fleeting.

Most pastors do not know how to answer the question, “Is my work making an impact?” Aside from preaching and other meetings, much of the work of the pastor during the week is only seen by a few. We tend to measure the worth of a pastor by counting “nickels and noses” (“nickels” meaning tithes/offerings, and “noses” meaning attendance), while these statistics demonstrate just a part of the story of a pas- tor’s efforts. In fact, many pastors pass along the sense of accomplishment to the members involved in the work of ministry.

6. The work of ministry is emotionally demanding. Pastors are often the target of criticism about church life or even the personal struggles that weigh heavily on other people’s hearts. Long after a visit or conversation has ended, the lasting effects remain lodged in our hearts and can affect us personally. Frankly, it’s very difficult to know whom to trust with your inner thoughts and feelings. That’s why many pastors appear guarded and hard to get to know.
7. Simply stated, pastors are people too. They share the same real life, everyday, normal needs as everyone else. They need to feel accepted by others, with a sense of belonging that comes from who they are, not from what they do. Perhaps the opportunity will arise during “Pastor Appreciation Month” (October), to affirm and acknowledge your pastor as person and friend.

–Craig Carr is RMC ministerial director.

Sources:

“Nine Secrets Pastors Keep” by Mandy Smith. www.seminarygradschool.com

“10 Secrets Many Senior Pastors Keep” by Ron Edmondson. www.churchleaders.com

By Grazyna Dabrowska

What started as a personal experiment turned into a seven-year passion as I have discovered raw foods and their benefits. In the spring of 2005, along with a group of close friends, I embarked on a 21-day juicing and cleansing diet.

Each of us did this for different reasons. Some dreamed about getting into their swimsuits before a summer beach vacation. Others, feeling stressed and unable to cope with the demands of everyday living, looked for the promised energy increase, improved sleep, clearer thinking, and better concentration. Yet others, dealing with a particular health challenge, hoped for a cure. Each of us had different reasons for staying on the program, and in one way or another we all benefited from the results.

During the cleansing and follow-up portion of this diet, we were to use only organic fruits and vegetables in order to get maximum nutrients. Plenty of pure, living spring water was also a must, to ensure removal of toxins and products of metabolic waste. (You can find a free spring water supply in your area by going to www.findaspring.com).

I recall my friends who took part in the adventure proudly displaying their thinner bodies, glowing skin, improved health, increased energy, and more positive attitude.

Although many of us found it hard to stay on the pro- gram for the entire 21 days, the diet enabled us to change our eating habits. Some of us never went back to the way we ate before. Some included more fruits and vegetables in their diets. Others fell off the wagon, but have never forgotten how to reclaim the state of well-being they enjoyed.

During this process I felt compelled to find out more about superfoods (such as goji berries, noni fruit, mangos- teen, maca root, cacao beans, sea vegetables, marine phyto-plankton, coconut oil, and spirulina) and superherbs (such as holy basil, turmeric extract, mucuna, rose hips, horsetail, stinging nettles, and gingko biloba). I wanted to share with others how to strengthen and beautify their bodies.

In the winter of 2009, I enrolled in David “Avocado” Wolfe’s Ultimate Raw Nutrition Certification Program, offered by the BodyMind Institute in Alberta, Canada. In December 2011, I completed the curriculum. I have learned how to live naturally, sustainably, and successfully in this world. The Greek philosopher Hippocrates, who is also referred to as the father of medicine, famously said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” A doctor- recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables might be hard to consume, but throwing it all in a blender and drinking a nutritious green smoothie provides a much easier route to follow.

In my quest to stay healthy, I continue to be curious about how I can best nourish my body. Everyone knows the saying, “You are what you eat.” But how many of us take it seriously and make good food choices that can positively affect us on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels? In all aspects of life—our work, exercise program, or nutrition—the little things add up. We cannot achieve health benefits by doing something only now and then. Consistency in healthful eat- ing, exercise, and other choices is what makes the difference.

An excellent customer service rule is based on three Cs: Consistency creates credibility. How about applying this golden rule to your personal health practices? When you consistently live by sound health principles, others will notice the positive changes. Your healthful glow and increased energy will speak for themselves.

The psalmist reminds us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” designed by the Creator Himself. Only God could design the human body with all of its fascinating intricacies. As stewards of our bodies, we have a duty to make wise food choices in conjunction with regular exercise to help our bodies function at an optimum level.

I continue to enjoy good health, and trust that God will continue to bless me in my health practices. He wants us to live abundantly. I choose life.

–Grazyna Dabrowska lives in Longmont, Colorado. She is an avid gardener, and enjoys reading, quality nutrition, and exercise. Adapted from an essay published in The Fullness of Faithfulness, edited by Lori Bryan and published by Review and Herald in 2013.

By Stefani Leeper

Just one text is all it takes to make or break a future, and God has a humorous way of using these phone mishaps in the best of ways.

Michelle Velbis knows this all too well. The date: May 2015. Velbis stared at the screen of her phone, pads of her thumbs typing a short and sweet thank-you note to her friend Diane. She scrolled through her list of contacts, found the name, and sent off her message. She received no response until the next day.

“Great to hear from you, Michelle,” read the text from Diane Harris, the associate superintendent of education for the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC).

Knitting her brow, Velbis skimmed the thread of their conversation only to realize she sent her thank-you text to the wrong Diane.

However, she does not label this mistake completely under the category of human error. “That ‘accidental’ text started an avalanche of providential occurrences,” she said.

And only God’s intimate knowledge of her history can account for that.

As a teen, Velbis turned down a diving scholarship to Wright State University to honor the Sabbath. She pursued an education degree before switching to English. Post-graduation, the Ohio native became a journalist and a gymnastics business owner, serving 800 students. However, it was only after dramatic life events that she was able to fully discover Christ’s boundless love.

After her divorce, she sold her business and began sending applications to various Adventist schools, not receiving any bites until Spring Creek Adventist School in Montrose, Colorado, gave her a call. Her resume reached the head of the board, and as the teachers of the small one- room school were on vacation, she was offered the position. Velbis later learned she would not have received an offer if the proper evaluation team had been there to weed out applications. But in this case, God provided for her, and she could not refuse the call—even though it seemed illogical to move herself and four children for a small-town teaching position.

“I love to look back and see where God was leading and preparing me for teaching,” Velbis passionately said.

Recognizing God’s call, she became a teacher and taught in Montrose for two years.

She later met her husband and moved with him to Florida. Two years after her move, the small school where she taught closed. One year after that, her accidental text reached the phone of Diane Harris.

Now, Velbis serves as the teacher and the principal of Daystar Christian School in Pueblo, Colorado. Managing grades 1 – 8 in one classroom is not an easy task, but she makes it work through individualization.

Velbis posts a daily blog to which she uploads lesson plans and homework assignments. The children are to study the materials before coming to class, where they receive further instruction. If they are struggling to understand concepts, she will work with them one-on-one. She has found this method works well for mathematics and English, and for broader topics such as history, science, and Bible studies, she teaches them collectively, and provide them with individualized homework. She shared that lesson planning is difficult, but it betters their education as it is tailored to each student, something extremely important to her.

“I did not have the privilege of growing up in a Christian home or having a Christian education, and because of this my journey has been more difficult than some, but I also appreciate the journey all the more now.”

She also utilizes 21st-century project-based education. During the last school quarter, her students spent two days brainstorming ideas for helping the city of Pueblo, and decided to use two key foci: health education, and aiding the homeless of the Pueblo Rescue Mission. Their program, Healthy Helping Hands, involved the city, and doubled as a real-life skills-builder for the kids, who called and emailed people, found and arranged the location to hold the event, and eventually raised $400—among other donations—for the homeless. They also recruited the Rocky Mountain Conference Health Ministries Director Rick Mautz as their health speaker. Their work received recognition in the June 2016 issue of OUTLOOK, The Pueblo Chieftain, and the Rocky Mountain Conference’s NewsNuggets.

Her appreciation of education extends beyond the traditional system. Like Ellen White (Education) and Mexico’s renowned 17th century female scholar and poet Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (La Respuesta a Sor Filotea), she believes a curriculum of subjects, taken with a desire to understand the whole—spiritual, mental, and physical—is what helps a per- son recognize the omnipotence of God. Only by acknowledging Him and learning how to find Him in all things can educational voids be filled.

That philosophy is reflected in every class, and in every tie Daystar has with the local community, whether it be through giving back to the homeless and less fortunate or forging community ties with the local Chamber of Commerce, business owners, colleges, and the public library, serving as “a reflection of our commission by Jesus Christ as given in Matthew 28.”

Her approach to education is unique, but pre- pares her students for life outside the classroom. By having the students complete some schooling online and holding them accountable for their assignments, they are being prepared for high school and college, which use a similar structure. Additionally, they are learning the lessons of thinking on their own, being responsible and self-sufficient. “I feel like their cheerleader,” she explained, elaborating on how she acts as a support system to students growing up in one of Colorado’s most dangerous cities. “Remembering my own childhood, and the impact that some of my teachers and mentors had in my life, motivates me to ‘pass it on.’”

“I want my life to be a testimony of His love,” she summarized, before quoting Zephaniah 3:17, her favorite Bible verse: “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs” (NLT).

–Stefani Leeper was the 2016 summer communication intern for the Rocky Mountain Conference, and is starting her senior year at Union College.

By Stefani Leeper

Snakes? Mosquitos? Mud? Sunburns? No, thanks.

I’m one of the few Adventists who never went to summer camp. I can imagine the collective gasps. No, I’m not a convert. I just wasn’t for all that summer camp stuff. Anyone who knows me can testify to that. Based on what I heard from friends who grew up attending and leading those camps, I was satisfied with my absence. However, a recent visit to Glacier View Ranch (GVR), a summer camp located in the foothills of Boulder, Colorado, had me second guessing my prejudice.

Glacier View Ranch didn’t look like a camp at all—it looked like a mountain retreat with the simple lodging you might expect for a summer away from home. As it turns out, that’s exactly what it is; I guess I should have read the welcome sign. All the same, the campers who spend their summers there are blessed with abundant access to natural beauty. They have a lake, biking trails, horses, a nature center filled with cool critters, and other nature-based activities right at their fingertips. There is even a country store.

A quick visit only a mere five days later to Wyoming’s summer camp venue, Mills Spring Ranch (MSR), quickly disproved my developing theory that all Adventist summer camps look alike and offer amenities as simple and comfort- able as GVR’s. Here, colorful tents and motor homes dot the forest, scattered around several random camper cabins. Compared with the 100+ campers GVR hosts every summer, MSR is much smaller, hosting only about 50. It has a more genuine “campout” feel.

In hindsight, the stark contrast between the camps is really not all that surprising. Rocky Mountain Conference youth ministries director Steve Hamilton explained that MSR is a “traditional” Adventist camp, whereas GVR caters to campers who might not be a part of the Adventist faith. “Less than 43 percent of campers at GVR attend any church,” he shared, “and Wyoming is different in that almost all 50 campers are constituent members.” Many of these kids are sponsored through a partnership with Centura Health.

Of course, this means there is an opportunity for GVR’s Christian campers to act as mentors, or, as Hamilton puts it, “those who transfer information.” Staff and counselors pro- vide most of the mentoring.

Second-year camper Cecilia supported this claim, saying GVR counselors are extremely helpful, and are a good influence, helping campers to better know our Creator. She summed up her sentiments simply: “GVR is where you can experience God.”

In fact, noted Tyler Morrison, who served as GVR’s camp pastor for teen week this summer, counselors are a major asset during the camp itself and campers respond to them with interest. “Campers are initially more interested in the human aspect—getting to know the counselors and building trust with them.” Morrison, the current enrollment coordinator at Union College and a former camp counselor at North Star Camp, added that only after these bonds are formed do campers begin to voice spiritual questions, show- ing concern for their eternal life.

Audrey Hatfield, in her third year as the nature center director and fourth year as a GVR staff member, has made similar observations. “They see things, feel things, and they don’t know if it is angels or demons. They want to know what it is, and what it means,” the Union College nursing major shared.

But doesn’t that concern the parents? I wondered.

“Parents know they’re bringing kids to a Christian camp, even if they are not Christian,” Hamilton replied. He explained that kids who have not been exposed to a church context find themselves in an accelerated, question-rich environment. The Christian context saturates every aspect of their summer camp experience.

Despite the camper demographic differences between the two summer camps, one aspect is the same. At MSR and GVR, the campers have the opportunity to fellowship with other young people to whom they can relate. “A lot of our kids [and campers] don’t get a chance to go to our schools, and it’s an opportunity for them to spend a week learning about Jesus,” shared Rocky Mountain Conference president Ed Barnett. “I think it’s a fabulous program.”

Morrison noted that the summer camp staff’s work is effective because they put their best efforts forward, enabled to do so by God so as to minister to the campers. They are being intentional in helping the kids. And sometimes it’s just one person who can make a difference.

I haven’t been persuaded yet that skipping out on summer camp was a mistake, but the benefits of it are a little clearer now. I can’t explain the science of it, but it just makes sense. It’s not a mystery—it’s a ministry.

–Stefani Leeper was the 2016 summer communication intern for the Rocky Mountain Conference, and is starting her senior year at Union College.

By Rajmund Dabrowski

A few years ago, the enchantment of Bermuda with its leisurely lifestyle, houses painted in pastel colors and classy formal attire (Bermuda shorts and blazers for men are still in fashion) took hold of me. I also appreciated the examples of kindness I saw everywhere. Eugene, the taxi driver, was late in picking me up for the airport, and his delay gave me a moment in the hotel lobby to complete my postcard writing intended for my “enemies”—with an “I wish you were here, too” type of message. Finally Michael Levon, a fifty-something old-timer among the taxi drivers in Kingston, ended up driving me. On the way to the airport I got a 20-minute detailed and culturally-rich expose about the island.

“If you fall down, somebody will pick you up,” he stated in plain Bermudian English. “They teach us to say ‘Good morning’ the moment we are in school. When we are this high—” He moved his hand from the steering wheel and showed me how tall children are when they learn to say “Good morning” (it was OK with a 20-mile-per-hour speed limit, I thought). “It stays with us for later,” he added.

“We always greet each other. Even when we just pass somebody, it’s ‘Good morning! Good morning! Good morn- ing!’ We know that it’s the Smith or Jones boy or girl that greeted us. We know where they live. We know their family. When they get in trouble—an accident or something—we know they need help and we help them.”

If you fall down in Bermuda, someone will pick you up.

Johnny Barnes, Bermuda’s “Mr. Happy,” personified Bermuda’s friendliness. When I met him, Barnes was 86 years old and was the “Good morning! I love you,” island rep who exemplified the spirit of Bermuda near the Crow Lane roundabout where he greeted motorists every morning (rain or shine). He had been busy solidifying Bermuda’s reputation for friendliness for 45 years. Before he retired, Barnes was a diesel mechanic and a driver. “My mother told me to never pass a day without recognizing someone, making someone’s life brighter,” Barnes told me. “I’ve been doing this for 45 years.” He said it was a blessing for him and a calling.

“He is our icon. He is special,” Michael confirmed, when I asked about Barnes.

Shortly after we’d met, I saw Barnes in a circle holding hands with three women, heads bowed. They were praying— he, a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, and the three women . . . who knows? Does it really matter? This was his moment of silence with three Bermudian women who had arrived just moments before to promote a cause. “When someone wants to promote something, they go to Johnny Barnes’ roundabout,” Michael confirmed. He added, “I am sure someone will step in after he is gone.”

Johnny Barnes passed away on July 9 at the age of 93. The legacy he left was not ignited by a pastoral call to kind- ness. It was something he shared from his heart, without anyone asking him to . . . be nice and live love.

—Rajmund Dabrowski is RMC communication director and editor of Mountain Views.