Sound Bite
“By Bethlehem, our weakened humanity was staggering toward extinction. . . . By Bethlehem Satan had made our planet a virtual land of deranged minds and distorted limbs. It was then, when heaven and earth could clearly see the full consequences of Lucifer’s rule, that God personally came looking.”
—Calvin Rock, during an Annual Council meeting at the General Conference, adapted from a 2007 article in Adventist Review

 
Adventist Life
One of our family’s favorite Christmas songs is “Angels We Have Heard on High.” Each December we listen to a CD with a choir singing it—and we often sing along.

Last year was no different until my 4-year-old daughter put a different spin on it when she scrunched up her face and said, “I have a question: Who is Gloria? And what is she doing in eggshells a day old?”
—Kimberly Luste Maran, Laurel, Maryland
 

When I was 6 years old our family was invited to a birthday party for a retired Adventist pastor who was 100 years old. At this party he told of some advice Ellen White had given him as a young pastor. She said his sermons were like a farmer who, after milking his cows and obtaining a full pail of milk, would kick the pail over!

At home I asked my mother, “Why did the farmer kick the pail of milk over?”

My mother explained the meaning to me—which I have found to be very good advice, and not only for pastors! She said, “Make your point! Stop! Don’t ramble on!”
—Helen Morley-Fried, age 81, Hillsboro, Oregon

We Need You!
We are looking for brief submissions in these categories:

Sound Bites (quotes, profound or spontaneous)
Adventist Life (short anecdotes, especially from the world of adults)
Jots and Tittles (church-related tips) Camp Meeting Memories (short, humorous, and/or profound anecdotes)

Please send your submissions to Give & Take, Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600; fax: 301-680-6638; e-mail: [email protected]. Please include phone number, city, and state from which you are writing.