Richard Wical

Coming into the Thanksgiving and Holiday season we’ve all heard the proverbial stories of family gatherings gone bad. But wherever we gather it’s good to be reminded how much others needs our WORDS of encouragement, support and love.   Sounds easy enough but James says, “No human being can tame the tongue” (James 3:8, NIV). Wait…

“Thanksgiving is inseparable from true prayer; it is almost essentially connected with it. One who always prays is ever giving praise, whether in ease or pain, both for prosperity and for the greatest adversity. He blesses God for all things, looks on them as coming from Him, and receives them for His sake- not choosing…

D.A. Carson writes: “The resurrection of Jesus Christ carries with it many, many wonderful implications. The first is that it vindicates Jesus. In other words, some people thought that if Jesus died on the cross, it could only be because he deserved it. He was declared guilty by a Roman court. And the Old Testament…

SOMEONE wrote: There are TIMES when we feel as if HEAVEN’S clock is OFF by a few days, months, or even YEARS. God seems to be taking His time in answering that PRAYER, meeting that NEED,  changing that CIRCUMSTANCE or bringing JUSTICE. We sit in the waiting room unattended and anxious. WHEN we feel this way, guess WHOSE clock needs to be reset?” A Christian pastor DISCUSSED his cancer BATTLE with a Rabbi who ALSO had dealt with a SERIOUS illness.  The RABBI said that he NEVER prayed to be HEALED.   He DIDN’T believe God had ANYTHING to do with his ILLNESS so WHY should God have ANYTHING to do with his HEALING? He believed God was, basically, OUTSIDE all the experiences of life. He kind of WOUND up  the world then left us alone. Seventh-day Adventists believe in a God who is VERY close and VERY involved in even the SMALLER details of…

He’s Not One to Leave Us Hurting by Beca Bruder, Comment Magazine Dear Church Family, I’m sharing a short devotional I read that relates to Christmas, healing and hope. I pray that amidst our individual and family challenges, it will be an encouragement to you all as well! It’s not easy to both inhabit our…

  “We must keep going in the direction that we are now headed.” Philippians 3:16   Pastor Rick McDaniel tells of a couple on vacation in Hawaii. They went out to snorkel at a beach near their hotel. They were mesmerized by the beauty of the coral, and the variety of fish. At some point,…

    Dear Church Family: I hope you’ve had a blessed summer and that the kids among us are off to a great start in school! My daughter hosts a podcast called Echo and Encourage:  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6G6qTi45gJf7EdeMeqkTOd?si=Tk_CgCA-R3GeJxaVHGEpGA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-echo-and-encourage-podcast/id1667123346#episodeGuid=0f77a4a4-cfdb-41d9-9784-facafd75739f   I’ve included one that I did with her while I was visiting her last Christmas. While it…

For a while my biggest thrill as a new Christian was to meet up with other Adventists after church. Worship, fellowship and Special K loaf made Sabbaths the very best day! But after a while my faith and prayers didn’t seem so relevant. But then I began making visits with an associate pastor whose wife…

  Dear ABQ Central Church Family:   How many of you plan to travel this summer? What kind of vacation are you looking forward to? Is it a favorite activity like camping in the mountains? Is it a favorite place? Like the beach with its quiet rejuvenating lapping of the waves and underwater paradise of…