Angel J. Rodriguez
The Mighty Tree
I remember as a pathfinder going to our Camporee and enjoying the beautiful landscape of nature. There was one tree by one of our lower division Sabbath school classes that was perfect for picnics or just laying in the shade as the soft breeze came over you. The tree lived thru many storms, blizzards, and even periods of drought. It stood majestic, picturesque, and was my favorite tree in the entire camp. Then one day, the ground moved as lightning…
The Garbage bags
Have you ever had garbage bags that were on the brink of their load capacity? You have put more and more junk into them until you realize that just maybe you over did it? Well, I had broken several bags because I was rushing to get things into the garbage cans before the trash collector and his truck arrived. I didn’t like picking up all those smelly items, saturated items, sickening germ infested items and putting them into a new…
The Big Race
If you have ever ran in a race, you know that in order to run the race you need to practice, practice, and practice. There are no short cuts, no quick track to preparation. You need to invest the time, make the time, run the time, and then recover in time. I remember still when I had the privilege in running in a 4-man relay in the New York City sponsored youth Olympics. We were selected by our peers to…
Assembly Required
I remember building a playground set for our children for the 1st time. We purchased the kit, followed the instructions, and secured the wood. Then we obtained the bolts, screws, washers, drills, and everything the instructions asked us to acquire. The children helped build this new play set with swings, bridge, slide, seesaw, rope climbing ladder, and even a two-deck style tree house. It was impressive, until I looked into my box and realized that I still had extra bolts,…
Forgiveness is like a River
I had the privilege this past week of being part of my daughters wedding. She and her husband are both pastors children. Both fathers had the honor of sharing a message to the new couple. I would like to share with you this Sabbath what I shared with the newly weds. When two rivers merge for the first time, there are a lot of rumbling waters. Water sprays into the air, waters crashing into the rocks. However, as the waters…
Anticipation
I remember when I was eight years old; my father told us that we were going to Lake Welch. The lake was crystal clear with beautiful tan sand. The soft breeze would come over the lake and cool the beach areas. That night I could barely sleep because of the anticipation of the trip. Every hour I would wake up and go back to sleep. Finally the hour came – 6:00 a.m. I would jump out of bed, fly into…
Flea Flicker
We spoke about fleas in our last devotional. We fumigated our home, placed powder on the rugs, put collars on cats, cleaned the sheets, and just when we thought we had the victory, one flea pops up to let us know it had survived. I read volumes of material on how to get rid of these uninvited guests. In all my readings, one theme was common. Find the source of their food. This past week, I discovered the source, and…
Fleas
Recently we have been dealing with a simple little pest called fleas. One day they arrived in our home. First, they invaded our cat. Then they began chewing on our kids. I never dealt much with fleas. In northern cold country, fleas don’t do well. However, in the warm climate of Texas hospitality, they have tried to make our home their home. I discovered that these little critters have no wings, however they know how to jump. They are usually…
Nothing new under the Sun?
It is interesting that some things don’t change except technology and our age. Human nature however is a different story. Since the beginning of time, we were created in the image of God. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth…
Fantasy World
Lately I have been seeing young boys and girls, Adult men and women, and even some elderly people walking around with their phone chasing imaginary animals. I have never seen anything like this. According to several reports, a man fell off a cliff while chasing this fantasy pet. A young boy broke into a home trying to chase this illusive animal. Still others cross into moving traffic while pursuing this creature. Since the birth of video games, minds have been…
Deceptions
Have you ever been deceived? It happened to a Pastor friend of mine while visiting Jerusalem. He loved to play chess. Very often on route to another site that was hours away he would pull out his portable chess set and play anyone who was up to the task. In Jerusalem he saw a beautiful chess set made of marble. He negotiated the price. The salesman asked if he would like it wrapped in a beautiful box with wrappings. He…
Biblical Insights
And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.”Exodus 14:14-16