Kingdom of Men

Daniel 4:25

The Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.

Daniel 5:21

The Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.

John 19:10-11

"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.

Plan of Salvation in Gen. 5

At Restoration 2007, Ivor Myers issued a friendly challenge of learning how redemption is spelled out through the genealogy of Adam.

Special thanks to E-sword, Behindthename.com, Strong’s Hebrew & Greek Dictionaries, and Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions.

Genesis 5: The plan of salvation as revealed through Adam’s line from Adam to Noah…

Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.

Adam=Red, ruddy, man

Seth = “compensation”, substituted

Enos=man in general (singly or collectively)

Cainan="possession", nest (figuratively chamber or dwelling)

Mahalaleel=praise of God

Jared=“descent”

Enoch= “dedicated”, initiated

Methuselah=man of a dart

Lamech= “powerful”, possibly means "to make low" in Hebrew

Noah = “rest”

A man was the compensation, substitution for (sinful) man in general­—His possession (redeemed by His blood)—(He was) the praise of God, He made His descent from heavenly glory to the redemptive task he was dedicated and initiated the final events in the plan of salvation as the man of dart, making Himself low in human flesh, entering into a powerful rest, allowing all to enter His rest today.

Rockin' in the Free World

by Neil Young



There's colors on the street
Red, white and blue
People shufflin' their feet
People sleepin' in their shoes


But there's a warnin' sign
on the road ahead
There's a lot of people sayin'
we'd be better off dead
Don't feel like Satan,
but I am to them
So I try to forget it,
any way I can.


Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.


I see a woman in the night
With a baby in her hand
Under an old street light
Near a garbage can
Now she puts the kid away,
and she's gone to get a hit
She hates her life,
and what she's done to it
There's one more kid
that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love,
never get to be cool.


Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.


We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand

We got department stores
and toilet paper
Got styrofoam boxes
for the ozone layer
Got a man of the people,
says keep hope alive
Got fuel to burn,
got roads to drive.


Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.

Wolves in Sheeps Clothing: Part 3

William Miller had no sympathy with those influences that led to fanaticism. He declared, with Luther, that every spirit should be tested by the word of God. "The devil," said Miller, "has great power over the minds of some at the present day. And how shall we know what manner of spirit they are of? The Bible answers: 'By their fruits ye shall know them.'. . . There are many spirits gone out into the world; and we are commanded to try the spirits. The spirit that does not cause us to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world, is not the Spirit of Christ. I am more and more convinced that Satan has much to do in these wild movements. . . . Many among us who pretend to be wholly sanctified, are following the traditions of men, and apparently are as ignorant of truth as others who make no such pretensions."--Bliss, pages 236, 237. "The spirit of error will lead us from the truth; and the Spirit of God will lead us into truth. But, say you, a man may be in an error, and think he has the truth. What then? We answer, The Spirit and word agree. If a man judges himself by the word of God, and finds a perfect harmony through the whole word, then he must believe he has the truth; but if he finds the spirit by which he is led does not harmonize with the whole tenor of God's law or Book, then let him walk carefully, lest he be caught in the snare of the devil."--The Advent Herald and Signs of the Times Reporter, vol. 8, No. 23 (Jan. 15, 1845). "I have often obtained more evidence of inward piety from a kindling eye, a wet cheek, and a choked utterance, than from all the noise of Christendom."--Bliss, page 282. {GC 396.2}

Great Controversy pg. 396

Wolves in Sheeps Clothing: Part 2

The prince of evil contests every inch of ground over which God's people advance in their journey toward the heavenly city. In all the history of the church no reformation has been carried forward without encountering serious obstacles. Thus it was in Paul's day. Wherever the apostle raised up a church, there were some who professed to receive the faith, but who brought in heresies, that, if received, would eventually crowd out the love of the truth. Luther also suffered great perplexity and distress from the course of fanatical persons who claimed that God had spoken directly through them, and who therefore set their own ideas and opinions above the testimony of the Scriptures. Many who were lacking in faith and experience, but who had considerable self-sufficiency, and who loved to hear and tell some new thing, were beguiled by the pretensions of the new teachers, and they joined the agents of Satan in their work of tearing down what God had moved Luther to build up. And the Wesleys, and others who blessed the world by their influence and their faith, encountered at every step the wiles of Satan in pushing overzealous, unbalanced, and unsanctified ones into fanaticism of every grade.

Great Controversy pg. 396

Wolves in Sheeps Clothing: Part 1

Satan is "the accuser of the brethren," and it is his spirit that inspires men to watch for the errors and defects of the Lord's people, and to hold them up to notice, while their good deeds are passed by without a mention. He is always active when God is at work for the salvation of souls. When the sons of God come to present themselves before the Lord, Satan comes also among them. In every revival he is ready to bring in those who are unsanctified in heart and unbalanced in mind. When these have accepted some points of truth, and gained a place with believers, he works through them to introduce theories that will deceive the unwary. No man is proved to be a true Christian because he is found in company with the children of God, even in the house of worship and around the table of the Lord. Satan is frequently there upon the most solemn occasions in the form of those whom he can use as his agents.

Great Controversy pg. 395-396

Liars...YUCK!

I hate lies and the lying liars that lie.

Collegedale Church: Worship Renewal

According the Collegedale Church's website...
"There is also deep concern for a group of students, up to as many as 1000, who apparently do not attend church services anywhere in the greater Collegedale area and need to feel invited to have a church home here on campus. With the realization that this is such an important period of decision-making in the lives of these students, the need to make room for them is glaring and deeply felt. A proposed plan was presented to the board, thoroughly examined and discussed, then voted. It calls for a change in the morning schedule for Sabbath School and worship service."

Here is the video of Pastor John Nixon explaining the change.

Pastor Nixon says the church will work with Campus Ministries' Spiritual Life Team in developing the student-led worship.

I remember Jeff Tatarchuk sharing with me a year ago about his idea of SEYC and BWC working with Collegedale Church.... I wonder how the two ideas will differ.

Your New Bible Workers Club President

After the SEYC Advisory Board meeting at Dr. Chung's palatial estate late last semester, we had to have a look around. It wasn't long before Stephanie Schliefer found a grand piano and filled the room with her playing and singing. Meanwhile, Eric Rose preserved Stephanie's performance and documented the decor and with his video camera. The rest of us ran around in our socks on the tiled floors, played ping pong, and curiously peaked around corners. Spacious rooms, beautiful paintings on every wall, and yes this wonderful sofa or whatever it's called that Ezequiel found.

Something about it begged us to not only have our picture taken on it, but to strike a classical pose as well. "You should use this on the cover of the Bible Workers Handbook," Zeke said jokingly. It might not make the cover of any handbook but it's here on my blog.

Of course Katie couldn't resist either...

Kristin Thomas: Full of Grace

I don't know what prompted this gem of a shot, but it's a good one. In the sanctuary after Sabbath worship at North River Church. All photos by Christy Kurtz.


Here's the unedited photo.


Kristin with Reyna Joy. This is the only photo I took.

I can't believe that so many wonderful friends are going their separate ways now that school is over. Sister Kristin, you'll be missed. God bless you and your medical mission work in Chad.

Opinion on Homosexuality

By Donn Leatherman

There is, at present, a lively discussion on campus about homosexuality, homosexual practice and the position of Scripture and church relative to these two phenomena. Much of this debate has apparently been engendered by a convocation program conducted last Tuesday evening. Since I did not attend the convocation, I cannot write about the specifics of what took place there. I trust then that my comments will be seen as a reflection on the issues and a contribution to the discussion rather than as an attempt to uphold or to refute anything said in that public meeting.

It seems to me that there are two factors which have obscured the discussion of this issue for some time. The first of these arises from a lack of clarity in definitions, the second from imprecision in our views of the role of Scripture. In order to make my own comments clear, I will first address these issues.

What is homosexuality? The term is used ambiguously to refer either to a mental or psychological orientation or to a set of behaviors. Some people will use "homosexuality" to refer to a drive in a person which causes that person to be sexually attracted to members of the same sex; men to men or women to women. Others use the term to refer to sexual practices which involve two persons of the same sex. Obviously, there is a connection between these two, but they are not inextricable. Some people who do not normally feel attracted to persons of the same sex may, in some circumstances, engage in sexual acts with a person of the same sex. Others, who do feel such an attraction, may abstain. In order to avoid the ambiguity of this term, I will refer to "homosexual orientation" and "homosexual behavior/activity" to identify these two related but distinct phenomena.

Imprecision regarding the role of Scripture also clouds this discussion. In speaking of the Bible, we may sometimes refer to what it says on an issue, sometimes to the principles which seem to lie behind the text and sometimes to our understanding of its implications an applicability to our own situation. We may also privilege some parts of Scripture or some ideas from Scripture above others. Here I will take the plain sense of Scripture as an authoritative expression of the will of God and will base my assertions about its applicability on consideration of its statements in their context in the canon.

The Bible touches only lightly on the question of homosexual orientation, with only a single clause in Romans 1:27 mentioning attraction of men to men, there regarded more as a consequence of sin than as a sin per se. On the other hand, homosexual behavior is somewhat more widely discussed, though not as widely as (for example) greed or violence. The passages which relate to this issue are Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-28; I Corinthians 6:9 and I Timothy 1:10. The first two of these identify the act of sexual relations between men as an abomination. The passage from Romans describes homosexual and lesbian practices as examples of the problems which fall on the world as a result of the rejection of God. The last two texts identify those who engage in homosexual practices as one of the groups who are doing things "contrary to sound teaching," who are therefore excluded from the kingdom of God. There are other passages of Scripture which may contribute to this discussion less directly, such as the story of creation in Genesis 1 and 2, but I will confine my remarks here to the five texts which actually refer to homosexual activity.

The two texts in Leviticus state a reason why homosexual behavior is not to be tolerated among the Israelites. It is because these actions are "abominations" to the Lord. The latter of these two texts identifies homosexual activity as a capital offense. There are many other sins of a cultic nature mentioned in Leviticus which may result in "defilement" (meaning that a person who is thus "defiled" is not permitted to enter the sanctuary) but few of them are call "abominations" punishable by death. Homosexual practice, then, is regarded as something far more severe than cultic defilement. We too, must regard it as a grave sin, even if we do not impose capital penalties for it (or for idolatry, adultery and several other sins which merited the death penalty in ancient Israel).

As mentioned above, the passage in Romans treats homosexual practice as one of the various negative consequences which follow from the rejection of God. In this context it is associated with "a debased mind" which does "what ought not to be done" and is placed together with being "filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. . . . envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness" and with people who "are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless." The passage explicitly states that these are the sorts of things that can be expected of people who depart from God, and it clearly implies that these things will not be done by those who are faithful to God. The other two New Testament passages also locate homosexual practice in lists of sins. The terms used to identify homosexual practice are used widely enough in non-Christian literature for us to be quite certain about their meaning.

All of these passages present homosexual behavior as objectionable and forbidden. But none of them can be taken as a condemnation of homosexual orientation. No one is excluded from God's kingdom because he or she experiences same-sex attraction. The focus of Scripture is on homosexual acts. In this light, we must see homosexual activity as a sin like any other sin. Temptations come to all of us. Some are tempted in one way, some in another. The fact that we are tempted does not exclude us from God's kingdom. In fact, in the same passage in Corinthians 6 where Paul says homosexual activity excludes one from God's kingdom, he goes on to say, just two verses later, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:11) Clearly, those who experience same-sex attraction but who turn away from homosexual practice may be as fully a part of God's kingdom (and of the church) as any other sinner saved by grace. Further, those who practice homosexuality are as much loved by Christ as any other sinners and they ought to be just as much the objects of our love and concern.

Donn W. Leatherman

School of Religion

Southern Adventist University

"Compassion & Clarity: Biblical Perspectives on Homosexuality"

Panelists: Dr. Donn Leatherman, Dr. John Nixon, Dr. Doug Tilstra, Jon Tillay

Moderator: Dr. Greg King

Lynn Wood Hall Chapel

Wednesday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Convocation Credit Will Be Granted

A Look at Questions on Doctrine

My childhood friend, Tim Arakawa, whom some of you know as the former vice president of GYC and a current member of its board, wrote a very interesting blog. It centers on the publishing of the book Questions on Doctrine, one of the most controversial events in the history of the Adventist Church. It's sad that in the three minutes it took me to read Tim's blog, I learned more about it than I did in the 50-minute lecture in my Adventist Heritage class. If you identify yourself as an Adventist then you owe it to yourself to read it.

Happy Sabbath

Thoughts on Southern's Cafetaria Food

Why didn't anyone tell me about the existence of this video?

Seems like Eric Rose interviewed half of SEYC and the Bible Workers Club for their thoughts on Southern's Cafeteria food and recorded their (unintentionally) funny response.

A few of the (occasionally head scratching) highlights...

Surranny Villimizar: Fun?
Jon Tillay: The what sandwich?
Brian Glass: "Right?"
Christy Kurtz: Nasty
Jeff Tatarchuk: "You recording?"
Carlos Cirilo: Cat food?

find the matching (or not-so-matching) siblings

Why Have Children - Part One

I took this photo of my daughter, Reyna Joy, four days ago with my cell phone and saved it as my phone's wallpaper. Ever since then I've pulled out my cell phone about ten times a day when I'm at work, school, etc. just to look at my two-month-old beauty. I love her more everyday.

In a world that has gone mad, why bring precious children into it? Richard O'Ffill says he advises couples its a risk worth taking. "They're the only thing you might be able to take with you to heaven."

Think about it.

What do you call yours that won't one day burn at Christ's second coming? You can't take your car, clothes, or CDs to heaven. As my friend Thomson Paris wrote in a great post, outside of character and souls there is nothing else you can take with you.

But to be more specific, what is mine that I can take? As much as I would like to lay claim to my friends, they really don't belong to me. Therefore, the closest thing I can claim as mine is my family and that strongest claim may be made about my girl Reyna, the one I'm responsible for Biblically, morally, and legally.

So when it comes to what you call "your's" or "mine", take a risk: Have children. Love them. Teach them. Disciple them. And pray they'll be good and faithful servants of the LORD and that they'll spend eternity with you.

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

What Victory Looks Like

Do you know how hard it is to get two knuckleheads together? Especially when the boy has temporarily misplaced his mojo and the girl's intuition is on the fritz? Never in my life had I had to resort to every single Machiavellian trick up my sleeve to make any other conniving scheme work, but it was worth it for my February triumph.

The three tenets I had to obey for ultimate victory...
1. Make the boy think that every idea I had to get him into the vicinity of the girl was actually his idea.
2. Make the girl think that every time she "happened" to be around the boy that there served a practical purpose for some altruistic venture.
3. Use deceit only when necessary, which basically meant all the time.

For instance, one night in January, I needed help moving the baby crib into the basement. It just so "happened" that on a Saturday night I "desperately" needed the boy's help in moving the crib. Of course, with two people carrying such a cumbersome crib in the pitch black darkness of night, I "needed" the help of the girl to be the "lamp to our feet and a light for our path".

Naturally the task was so "taxing", I suggested the three of us should go back into the living room and recover our strength. And what, pray tell, would be a better way to recover than upon the most comfortable coach in all of Collegedale? Of course the boy was too gentlemanly to share the couch with the girl and it took much "prodding" by the man of the house before the boy was convinced that the wobbly wooden chairs from Wal-Mart might collapse under his well-toned, muscular body (due to regular visits to the YMCA).

Hee, hee...


Knowing that something special was blooming I grabbed my Canon Rebel to photograph the historic moment that will be passed down the Paris/Pham family tree.

Of course it didn't take too long before girl and boy felt cozy...


The eventual result...weeks later mojo was rediscovered, intuition was restored, and soon after victory was achieved.

Perhaps I'm taking too much credit, but as a journalist I've learned never to let the facts get in the way of a good story.

Thomson is Dead...Long Live Thomson

Words cannot express the loss of my dear friend, Thomson Mason Paris, last December. A brother with whom I Bible worked and worshiped with, often joined in cooking and eating, and laughed and cried with...was no more.



All that remained was an occasional glimpse of a shadowy wraith who would laugh, but not with all his laughter, and who would cry, but not with all his tears.

Thomson, my brother, my friend, my confidant...was gone...

Brother where art thou?

But like the mythical Phoenix, Thomson in January rose from the ashes, better, bolder, brighter and more brilliant than ever.

Thomson The Phoenix is back...Long live Thomson Mason Paris.

Being a Witness

I found this video where a couple of Christians happen to be videotaping in a Burger King parking lot when they are approached by two Mormon missionaries. Whether this is just an extraordinary coincidence or a fake, the following is an intriguing dialogue (sometimes heated argument) as they begin proselytizing each other.

As you watch this six-minute video, consider the following...

1. What are the Mormons doing right?
2. What are the Mormons doing wrong?

3. What is the Christian doing right?
4. What is the Christian doing wrong?

4. How would you have handle the situation differently (as either party)?




Flame On...

Happy Valentines

This video goes out to Thomson, who I know has secretly been wishing six times a day for the last six days for me to post this in his honor.

Yes...that's right. It's the Chinese Backstreet Boys singing.

This one's for you T-Bird...Happy Valentines.




Click here for the high quality video and stereo version

P.S. This video is also why people shouldn't eat so much MSG.

Truth VS Opposition

"Truth, passing by those who despise and reject it, will triumph. Although at times apparently retarded, its progress had never been checked. When the message of God meets with opposition, He gives it additional force, that it may exert greater influence." Evangelism, p. 20

Flame On...

Do Unto Others...

Last week I was hurrying though the Student Center, pondering how to finish nearly past due assignments I didn’t have time to complete earlier, when a nameless acquaintance crossed my path.

My acquaintance is nameless because, as far as I can gather, is deaf and was never taught any language skills—resulting in him not being able to communicate except through grunting and gesturing. He’s a middle-age man, not a student, who likes to hangout on campus.

I smiled and gave him a hug as I’ve often done in the past and then began moving to the Southern Accent newspaper office so I could work. But before I reached it he stopped me. With his right hand he began rubbing his stomach in a circular fashion.

“Oh, your hungry,” I said and he smiled back.

He then pointed downstairs to where the cafeteria was.

“The cafeteria won’t open for another five minutes,” I said, trying to figure out a way to disengage and finish my assignments.

He opened his wallet and showed me he only had a dollar.

“Oh…you’ll only be able to buy yogurt with that much money,” I said.

He nodded his head as if he understood me, rubbed his belly again and started walking downstairs to the cafeteria. I took that as my cue to head in the opposite direction. I looked over my shoulder at him in time to see him glance back at me with a puzzled look. At that moment I realized that he wanted me to join him. I don’t have time, I thought. I kept walking away when it hit me: He was hungry and he wanted me to buy him lunch. I have work to do, I thought and I turned my back on him as I walked through the office doors.

Later that day I thought about what a hypocrite I was. I used not having time and busyness as an excuse not to help my nameless acquaintance. But the reality is I would have gone to the cafeteria if it had been any one of my other friends inviting me. The only reason I didn’t go with him was because he wasn’t worth my time then. I began reflected on a passage from Ellen White’s Thoughts From the Mount of Blessings…

“The standard of the golden rule is the true standard of Christianity; anything short of it is a deception. A religion that leads men to place a low estimate upon human beings, whom Christ has esteemed of such value as to give Himself for them; a religion that would lead us to be careless of human needs, sufferings, or rights, is a spurious religion. In slighting the claims of the poor, the suffering, and the sinful, we are proving ourselves traitors to Christ. It is because men take upon themselves the name of Christ, while in life they deny His character, that Christianity has so little power in the world. The name of the Lord is blasphemed because of these things.” (Mount of Blessings, pg. 136).

What’s really sad is my friend Ezequiel Vasquez had shown me that previous quotation at the library several minutes before I ran into my nameless acquaintance. I even remember agreeing with Ezequiel with what we just read and thanked God for that insight…

And minutes later I walk out, betray Christ, and blaspheme God’s name by turning my back on a hungry brother in need.

Bridegroom cometh...I'm gonna Myspace

My friend Justin Wilson once showed up on my frontlawn colporteuring. We had a nice conversation and before leaving he asked me a question.

"You want to hear some good news?" he said.

"What's that?" I said.

"Jesus is coming," he said.

And with that Justin smiled and headed to the next house. 

It's funny, I usually remember entire paragraphs of conversations from years ago. But that last exchange with Justin is the only thing I remember about our talk.

I can't tell you the number of frivolous conversations I start everyday...and meanwhile there are people who need to hear about Jesus.

I can't tell you how many frivoulous articles I read in the news...and meanwhile God's word (my Bible) is unopened in my backpack.

And here I am blogging...and Jesus is longing to return...

What am I doing to fulfill the Great Commission?

The Bridegroom is coming...dare I go Myspace?

Unholy Amalgamations

Britain allows creation of human-animal embryos

Thu Jan 17, 3:30 PM ET

Britain's fertility regulator said Thursday it would allow scientists to create human-animal hybrid embryos for research.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) approved applications from two universities to create "cytoplasmic" embryos, which merge human cells with eggs from animals such as cattle or rabbits.

Scientists argue the research could pave the way for therapies for diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, although opponents condemned the HFEA's decision Thursday as a "disastrous setback for human dignity".

"An HFEA licence committee has considered two applications, from King's College London and Newcastle University, to carry out research using human-animal cytoplasmic hybrid embryos," the authority said in a statement.

"The HFEA licence committee determined that the two applications satisfied all the requirements of the law and has now offered one-year research licences to the two applicants, subject to a series of detailed conditions in each case."

Researchers want to produce hybrids that are 99.9 percent human and 0.1 percent animal.

Read the rest of the story here.

What is Comedy or Stress Relief from School

"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die."

Mel Brooks
US actor, comedian, & movie director (1926 - )

Why is it that I take so much delight in other people's pain? I know it sounds horrible, but please see the five-second video and perhaps you'll know what I mean...

Jeff Tatarchuk: Wakes up and blogs!

Hoorey... make merry people. Jeff's awake...

Jeff awoke after his Rip Van Winkle-like slumber to satiate the blogging needs of his fans. As we recall, it has been nine months since his last post. I'd like to thank the Anh Fire Army (i.e. the AFA, i.e. Thomson, Christy, Kristin, Kelsey, Caitlin, et. al.) for its near daily bombardment of Jeff until he heard the loud cry and awoke.

Brother Jeff! Welcome to the land of the living bloggers!

The bridegroom is coming!

Reyna Joy Pham

For the last nine months I've worried and agonized about becoming a father. Such as: Would I be capable of the job? What did I get myself into? Etc., etc.

But whatever questions I may have had vanished the moment Reyna Joy was born at 4:11 p.m. Tuesday, January 8.

How is it that I can be madly in love with someone I've never met?

I remember when Reyna was in the womb, Vanessa would have me by her belly, talking to our baby so Reyna would know my voice. I often had one-sided conversations with Reyna. Other times I would read from the Bible, Oswald Chambers, Mark Finley, Ellen White, or some other devotion.

The moment the nurse placed Reyna in my arms a feeling of exhilaration flooded my senses.

When I said, "Reyna" she stopped cooing, opened her dark eyes, and looked up at me. After that all I could do was hold her and cry.