Journey Notes

In an article for the Review and Herald written in 1892, Ellen G. White (one of the founders of our denomination) wrote: “There is no excuse for any one in taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed, and that all our expositions of Scripture are without an error. The fact that…

Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again! These words have been repeated, and celebrated, over and over again these last few days. Songs of victory over death have been sung, stories of sacrificial love have been told, colorful tables have been set and festive treats enthusiastically enjoyed. But as the days pass,…

“I place the small headphones in my ear and listen as you somersault back and forth between the walls your mother built for you”, writes Clint Smith to his first child, “I am here, I feel you say. I am still here.” These lines are written on the heels of a diagnosis that filled the expectant parents…

Good news! Our very own little boy, Theodore, is among us. The girls couldn’t be more in love with him. Neither could I. Sadly, as far as males go in the Navarro household, we are still, and likely forever will be, outnumbered. Jokes aside, it’s ok. He already loves his girls. So do I. What…

While writing to his apprentice and colleague in ministry Timothy, Paul writes the following lines: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command…

During a series of interviews, journalist Amy H. and Fred Rogers (beloved children’s television host) became friends. The very last time she saw him, before he passed away from stomach cancer, she asked him the following question: “If you had one final broadcast, one final opportunity to address your television neighbors, and you could tell…

The Harvest (Thanksgiving, Part 1) The apostle Paul couldn’t be any clearer. “Don’t be misled”, he writes in no uncertain terms, “you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant” (Galatians 6:7). For better and worse, this is how God intended our world to work. Our choices move us to action, and our…

Have you ever thought about how strange the holiday season is? We celebrate Thanksgiving as nature finishes to die. We keep Christmas as winter makes everything cold and hard, as if trying to erase better days from our memory. Yet, during Thanksgiving, we fill our tables with the fruits of the harvest and on Christmas,…

My journey of being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease was terrifying. First, because I was alarmingly low in blood. Second, because I was initially misdiagnosed with something significantly worse than Crohn’s. Third, because I saw this health condition as a defeat, a fatal blow, a deep darkness covering the rest of my life. This is how…

Like it or not, it’s the season for dressing up. The mornings are growing colder and the days rainier. Soon, children will be parading the streets in all kinds of outfits, begging for sugar. Meanwhile, the grown ups are trying to figure to be decent human beings in the midst of a political storm, mixed…

Believe it or not, we only have a few days of summer left. It feels like yesterday when my family was dreaming of summer. We longed for the long days of playing outside, gardens full of produce, faces full of ice cream, being with friends and movie nights. No school, all play, and plenty of…