Friday, December 30, 2011

The Year in Review

We will take the time to comment on the events of 2011 in our January, 2012 editorials. But let us take time to review 2011.

We saw extreme weather that was record breaking. We had the most tornadoes ever recorded in one year here is the US. The deadliest tornado ever hit Joplin, MO taking 321 lives and costing $9 billion.

We had 14 such disasters that cost over $1 billion. That, too, was record breaking. We had the worst wildfires on record. We experienced the worst drought since the dust bowl days, and record heat. We had severe flooding in the Mississippi Valley, and East Coast storms that flooded areas from Vermont to Georgia.

Globally we saw the horrors of the tsunami that hit Japan. It was triggered by the fifth most powerful earthquake ever recorded, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale. It caused a 130-foot high tsunami.

The Arab Spring Uprisings sent shock waves throughout the Middle East. The domino effect challenged and/or toppled governments in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Syria, and Libya.

We saw the death of some notorious world figures such as Osama bin Laden of al-Qaeda, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, and Kim Jong II of North Korea.

We saw Standard & Poor downgrade the US economy from a AAA rating to a AA+ rating, which is still three notches higher than China.

With the downturn in the US economy we saw people take to the streets in major cities across America, most notably the occupying of Wall Street.

We ended the year with a very controversial National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), or Senate Bill 1867. There are many concerns over this legislation, which includes the violation of our constitutional rights to a fair and open trial. Senator Diane Feinstein sponsored The Due Process Guarantee Act of 2011 to erase certain ambiguities. We will need to stay tuned to see how all this plays out. But in the end, we know that we will lose our religious rights.

As we look ahead to 2012, we should watch for the steady trend of events that will lead to a National Sunday Law. We should keep our eye on the events happening with the downturn in the European Community and the Euro, and the Vatican’s call for a “supranational authority” to oversee a new economic system.

We should take notice of events surrounding Iran and its nuclear program. Will Israel and/or the US strike at Iran in 2012?

We should keep tabs on conditions in Iraq after the pullout of American personnel. And what about the Afghanistan question? Many things could happen during this election year.

We realize that we have come to the end of another year; we are one year closer to the close of human probation and the second coming of Christ. Are we that much closer to Christ in our daily walk? That is the most important question of all.

It is one thing to know the news and the steady trend of events that lead to the coming of our Lord, but do we know the Lord Himself? Make 2012 the best year of your Christian experience, and have a plan to become more like Him in thoughts and feelings each and every day.

By Jeff Wehr

Today, I took a tour of our former lifestyle center and was amazed to see the sundeck repair complete, the former pool area has new windows and doors, and the wall framing is done for the entire building. God is good! Another phase of the renovation is complete!

According to our general contractor, the plans for HVAC are drawn and they are ready to start the work. This renovated facility will be used for the lifestyle center as well as provide college classrooms.

For the HVAC in the college section to be completed, the cost will be around $75,000. We are short only $20,000. The staff and students are praying that God will impress you to help with the completion of this phase so that the classrooms will be completed for the spring term, and the lifestyle center section will be completed soon after.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support.
Maria Gligor
Lifestyle Education Center Program Director

Daniel Garcia shared a report this morning in chapel on Woodland Institute of Health and Education, which he directs in Portugal. Several Hartland students have completed their internship training at this ministry. People come from all over the Western world to be trained in a one- or two-year medical missionary program. They learn how to study the Bible and to integrate its truths into their lives, as well as health evangelism, sanitarium work, and how to be self-supporting missionaries. He also conducts extension schools in Africa.

Elder Dennis Priebe, Amazing Facts revivalist, is staying here for a couple weeks to teach Life and Teachings of Jesus I, Early Old Testament History, Conversion and Righteousness by Faith, and a few sessions in Daniel.

“It is a privilege to receive instruction from this man of God,” one student remarked.

We look forward to having Elder Priebe back in the summer for our camp meeting. Check back for details as the time gets closer.

At the bi-annual meeting of the Board of Directors held on Sunday, May 2, Norbert Restrepo, Jr. was elected the new President of Hartland Institute by unanimous vote. Brother Restrepo, age 40, has been the Director of Las Delicias Institute located in Armenia, Colombia, South America, for the past 14 years.

For some years, the founding president of Hartland Institute, Colin Standish, has encouraged the Board of Directors to choose, under the Lord’s direction, the next president of Hartland Institute. The process of selection began in 2009. Nine individuals were nominated and eventually, four nominees, after much prayer, agreed to be considered. At the board meeting, all candidates were interviewed. There was deep seeking of the Lord for divine guidance of the minds of the board members.

When the consideration was narrowed to 3 nominees, the board invited students and staff to come together for earnest prayer. This was a solemn prayer session, where groups of students, staff, and board members sought for God’s plain direction. How those prayers were answered! Some stayed to continue praying as board members earnestly continued their deliberations. The board members were fully aware that God alone knew whom He had ordained to be the President. When the final vote was taken by secret ballot, the Holy Spirit had brought the 18 Board members present into one mind. It is hard to explain the sacred joy we experienced.

There will be a period of time before Brother Restrepo assumes the Presidency, when he, his dedicated wife Ivonne, and two daughters, Ivonne Alejandra, age 13, and Nelsy Giovana, age 2, will be able to move here. We will keep you updated in the future.

Some may be interested in Dr. Standish’s plans for the future. In his own words, “As long as the Lord gives me strength and opportunities, I will continue to teach, preach, and seek to warn and enlighten God’s people and those who are in darkness. I will do all I can to hold up the hands of Brother Restrepo and his family, and pray for God’s guidance in his leadership. I am deeply honored to have as my successor a man of God.”

The constituency and the Board have given Dr. Standish the title of President Emeritus. While he, his wife Cheryl, and daughter Alexandra will continue to live on campus, he and Cheryl will remain on the staff and will represent Hartland around the world.

May God bless Hartland’s partners worldwide.

J. H. Shin
Secretary of the Corporation
May 3, 2010

P.S. Please feel free to share this good news with anyone who might be interested in God’s leading here at Hartland.

Like stealth in the night, postmodernism has not only invaded the world but the church. It is a concept in which there are no universal laws, no ultimates, no immutables. It is based upon the feelings of each individual. Truth is nothing more than the whims of each individual. Few Christians have understood the postmodernist agenda, let alone the profound influence it has exerted upon the Christian church. This book exposes how far this influence has invaded the portals of the Christian establishments and how it is destroying the very fabric of society.

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Fascinating as it has been to many Christians, few have solved the mystery of the 144,000 and the great multitude of the book of Revelation. Yet the pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church focused much attention upon them. Like a sudden and unexpected flash of blinding lighting, this group of 144,000 is introduced in Revelation chapter 7 and again in another lightening flash in Revelation chapter 14, never again to be mentioned. The Old Testament is silent on the topic; Christ said nothing about it; neither did the writers of the gospels or the apostolic epistles. Yet the authors solve most of the divisive interpretations from the Bible itself and show how important is the understanding of these groups to all Christians. The authors solve most of the divisive interpretations from the Bible itself.

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