Greetings from Charlotte,
While the coronavirus shut down most of the world for varying lengths of time over the last 32 months, God has blessed His Work more than ever before. Did you know that we have sent out more Lesson 1 Bible Study Courses since January 2020 than in the previous 20 years combined? Since January 2020 we have sent out 330,175 copies, compared to 280,777 the previous two decades. Tomorrow’s World circulation increased from 301,000 subscribers in January 2020 to 614,000 for this coming January. We have much to be thankful for, but we must not become complacent. Please remember to pray for the safety of all our Council of Elders members as we convene this coming Monday through Wednesday.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Past and Upcoming Tomorrow’s World Presentations
Last weekend, we held six follow-up Tomorrow’s World Presentations: in Kingston and London, Ontario, Canada; and in Pretoria, Cape Town, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), and Johannesburg, South Africa. These presentations had a combined total attendance of 58 guests. This week, we have two initial presentations scheduled: Reading, England, UK; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Thank you all for your continued prayers for these presentations.
Family Weekends
Get ready for this winter’s family weekends! Several areas plan to host overnight family weekends in the coming months. These are not intended to be huge gatherings, but rather local events where brethren from surrounding congregations can come together to learn, grow, and fellowship in the mid-winter months.
These are this winter’s family weekends now in the planning stages. If you’d like more information on activities in your area, check with your local pastor.
Family Weekends in Planning Process for December 24–25 (unless otherwise noted):
- Big Sandy, Texas (Mr. Gary Stein)
- Charlotte, North Carolina (Mr. John Strain)
- Kansas City, Missouri (Mr. Rand Millich)
- Merrill, Wisconsin – February 24–26 (Mr. Mark Sandor)
- Montgomery, Alabama (Mr. Anthony Stroud)
Kansas City Family Weekend: December 23–25
Save the date for the Kansas City Family Weekend on the weekend of December 23–25. The weekend will have fun, fellowship, food, a formal dance, and much more. Mark your calendars— registration will be opening soon.
Living Education
Men’s Training Camp – Oklahoma—Repeat Announcement
From December 2–4, our next Men’s Training Camp will be held at Robbers Cave State Park near Wilburton, Oklahoma. The accommodations will be bunkhouse style, with camping trailer spots available for those who would prefer to bring a camper. The cost is $85 per person, which includes accommodations, meals, education, and inspiration! For more information and to register, go to MyLCG for the link.
Legal Affairs
Military Draft (U.S. Only)
As violence spreads and the world grows more dangerous, the possibility of reinstituting the military draft can be a cause of concern for Living Church of God members and adherents, as well as parents and grandparents of draft-age young adults. It seems prudent to explain how the Church is prepared to assist in the area of Conscientious Objection to Military Service. The Church Administration and Legal Affairs departments can help provide information for those in the following categories:
- Those who are draft-eligible establishing their Conscientious Objector (CO) status
- Those previously discharged or retired from the military (who may be eligible for reactivation) establishing their CO status
- Those currently in the military (active, reserves, or National Guard) who have personally come to conscientiously object to military service and wish to be discharged
Those eligible for the military draft among the Living Church of God who wish the Church's assistance in establishing their CO status should contact Legal Affairs at [email protected] or 704-844-1960, ext. 2229. We will send you the Church’s information letter, publications, and CO form. When you send back a copy of your completed Conscientious Objector form to Legal Affairs, you will be added to the Church’s official Registry of COs—and a copy forwarded to the Center on Conscience and War for inclusion in their national database of COs.
Those among the Living Church of God previously discharged or retired from the military (who may be eligible for reactivation) wishing the Church’s assistance in establishing their CO status, as well as those currently in the military (active, reserves, or National Guard) wishing the Church’s assistance in their attempt to be discharged, should also contact Legal Affairs ([email protected]) for information.
Comments
A Transcendental Purpose: God revealed a vital truth to the Apostle Paul when he wrote, “in the last days… men will be lovers of themselves… lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1–5). Today, people have full schedules and empty lives. When we focus on ourselves—my life, my job, my feelings, and my problems—this is a one-way ticket to frustration. However, some have learned that the key to a meaningful life is to focus on a goal that is bigger than ourselves. Jesus taught that we should “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus told His disciples to “go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15) and that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). To fulfill our calling as Christians and to have a really meaningful life, we need to get our focus off of ourselves and think about how we can serve others (Matthew 20:25–28). What adjustments can you make in your life to focus more on this transcendental purpose?
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—November 3, 2022
The Fracturing of Europe: In recent years France and Italy have worked closely in a “Franco-Italian axis,” founded primarily on the close personal relationship between France’s president Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s former prime minister Mario Draghi (Politico, October 27, 2022). Now, with Italy’s new prime minister Giorgia Meloni—historically anti-French in her positions—the Franco-Italian axis is being threatened.
At the same time, the relationship between France and Germany—often referred to as the “engine” powering the European Union—is under increasing strain. After a long-planned meeting between French and German representatives was abruptly rescheduled, the German newspaper Deutsche Welle observed, “The French-German relationship is in crisis again and this time, the spat seems more serious than usual.” It also comes at a critical time, as it undermines the EU’s ability to act in a crisis (October 26, 2022). Leaders of the two nations have recently clashed on how to handle the energy crisis and also on the issue of defense (Politico, October 26, 2022). Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz had a working lunch to discuss their differences—a lunch that was apparently productive (The Local, October 26, 2022).
Bible prophecy indicates that relations in Europe at the end of the age will be tenuous—resembling a mixture of iron and clay (Daniel 2:40–44). The Bible also indicates that the relationship between Israelite-descended nations and the German-led “Beast power” will deteriorate, resulting in the captivity of many—and France is an Israelite-descended nation. Will the recent Franco-German spat grow more serious, or is it just a temporary bump in the road? To learn more about the identity crisis Europe is experiencing, read our article on “Iron and Clay.”
Technology Can Read Your Mind! Throughout history, the thoughts in a person’s head have been private unless revealed by the individual. However, with new scientific discoveries, the thoughts in one’s head may no longer be private! Research from the University of Texas at Austin describes how a computer algorithm uses artificial intelligence and fMRI brain scans to decode a person’s thoughts (The Scientist, October 20, 2022).
In the study, scientists performed 16 hours’ worth of brain scans on three individuals while they were listening to podcast stories. After being trained on those scans, the software was able to interpret later, additional scans to decode the subjects’ silent thoughts surprisingly well. According to one study co-author, “If you had asked any cognitive neuroscientist in the world twenty years ago if this was doable, they would have laughed you out of the room.” The system does not interpret thoughts word-for-word, but it is able to put together higher-level concepts and ideas that the subject is thinking. One researcher has stated this ability to read thoughts is “mind blowing.”
As science continues to leap ahead, new technologies will revolutionize many aspects of society. Yet, as history has shown, these and other developments could be used for nefarious purposes. In book of Genesis, God and the One who later became Jesus Christ decided to confuse the languages of humanity to limit the negative impact of human actions (Genesis 11:6–7). What we are witnessing today is that there increasingly seems no limit to what human beings may be able to create—yet, without a moral compass to guide the use of our inventions, there are many dangers ahead. To better understand humanity’s need for a moral compass, be sure to read “Does Character Really Matter?”—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater