Archive for month: May, 2023

Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

Estimated reading time: 4 min.

Mr. Michael Heykoop gave a stirring presentation on radiant faith.

Mr. Heykoop began his forum by recalling when he first read the Sevenfold Mission of God’s Church, articulated by Dr. Meredith in the Living Church News article “The PURPOSE for God’s Church.” He recalled there was one mission that made him stop and think—the seventh, the mission to build an atmosphere of radiant faith. Why does the faith of others matter when we are judged based on our individual faith? 

Mr. Heykoop explained that radiant faith creates an inspirational environment in which people are prepared to do the work of God. After all, we are inspired by the faith of those in Hebrews 11 and examples throughout the Bible. Clearly, the faith of others does impact us. He then explored what the Bible says about radiant faith. 

The Power of an Atmosphere of Faith—and Lack of Faith

The Bible shows that an atmosphere of unbelief has consequences. Mr. Heykoop pointed to the example of Christ in Nazareth, where He did no mighty works “because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). He also referred to the story of Caleb and Joshua, who showed personal faith in God—but the Israelite camp as a whole had a faith-choking atmosphere that led to disobedience and punishment. The Bible specifically warns that lack of faith infects a group. God instructed Israel to send only fearful, fainthearted people home from its army (Deuteronomy 20:8), so that their fear wouldn’t spread. Clearly, the faith of the person next to us is important! 

The Bible also shows that a single individual’s faith can be used to inspire others. Mr. Heykoop turned to the story of David and Goliath. Goliath taunted the Israelites 80 times before David answered the challenge—but this certainly would not have happened by the end of David’s reign! By then, we read of numerous mighty men. These men likely would have lined up to fight Goliath. David’s personal example of radiant faith, over time, came to be reflected throughout Israel. 

Reassuring Faith

The faith of the group can also affect the individual. Mr. Heykoop turned to the example of Elijah. He began reading the account of Mount Carmel and the encounter between Elijah and the false prophets of Baal. As Mr. Heykoop said, this is “one of the most visually inspiring miracles of the Bible.” In this miracle, Baal’s prophets cry out for hours to no effect, but a short, 30-seconds-or-so prayer by Elijah causes God to send fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice. Yet even after this, Elijah is afraid and his faith is weak! Elijah fasted for forty days and was still afraid to go back to Israel. Mr. Heykoop showed that it wasn’t until God told Elijah that there were still 7,000 men following God—still faith in Israel—that Elijah got back to work. And after this, Elijah and Elisha perform some of the most profound miracles in the Bible. In this case, the faith of others in Israel encouraged and strengthened Elijah. 

Six Challenges to Take On 

Mr. Heykoop underscored the importance of an atmosphere of radiant faith. “We’re not judged by the faith of others, but the faith of others is a phenomenal tool we can use to grow.” We should hear the stories of miracles and blessings in the lives of our brethren and use them to grow our own faith. Mr. Heykoop then gave six challenges to the Living Education students to help build an atmosphere of radiant faith. 

1. Pray for the mission of God’s Church. 
2. Pray for the needs we see in God’s Church. Sometimes we can fulfill the needs of others, but often all we can do is pray about them. 
3. Pray for the leadership in God’s Church. Israel refused to follow its leaders—Moses and Aaron—but we can do better. We should pray that God will guide our leaders’ decisions. 
4. Pray about what we are asked to pray about. We should take announcements seriously, and we should maintain that fellowship with each other by praying for one another. 
5. Participate—get to know people. We can’t radiate faith to others if we never interact with them. We should fellowship with others, meet others, and inspire faith through interactions. 
6. Act with faith. We must live by faith to build our faith. We should make consistent plans to step out on faith, doing the right thing even when it’s hard, and give others the chance to be inspired by our faith. 

Mr. Heykoop concluded by stating, “It is essential we not just have individual faith, but an atmosphere of faith.” 

Rod McNair gave a forum recently explaining the psychological benefits of growing and tending to plants. Read about that here: Grow Something. 

Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.

Author: Nathan Kroon | Student Leader, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

Estimated Reading Time: 4 min.

Mr. Dexter Wakefield, Director of Business Administration in the Living Church of God and teacher of the Biblical Communication class at Living Education–Charlotte, has always had an affinity for airplanes.

It started in his youth, when he would build model planes and ride in planes that his father piloted. “He only had to pull me out of a dive a few times,” he said, jokingly. He has had a pilot’s license since the 1980s, and now primarily flies gliders, which requires an extra certification. He occasionally will briefly discuss his flights with the students in his classes. By popular demand, he gave the students a forum about his adventures in flying and on certain principles of flight.

Intro to Gliders

Gliders, also known as sailplanes, are capable of climbing thousands of feet into the air. Mr. Wakefield showed this illustration to the students to show them all the different parts of the glider:

The airfoils on the craft are designed to keep precise airflow over the glider’s surface. When the wind and the angle of the airfoils produce lift, drag is also created. The ratio of lift to drag is important, and depends on the weight of the plane. Low performance planes generally have a lift-to-drag ratio of 20:1. Medium performance planes will function at 30:1, and high performance planes do well at 40:1 to 60:1.

Thermal Dynamics

Gliders require a tow plane to perform a takeoff. Once in the air, gliders will typically use “thermals” to pull them higher. Thermals are columns of rising air, caused by warmer air temperatures on the ground. The heat being produced from the ground causes the air to destabilize, form a bubble, and create a column of rising air. The released moisture from the air forms into clouds, and this tells the pilot where the best lift can be found. Mr. Wakefield stated that he has flown with eagles and buzzards. Birds will fly in a circle in the thermals. Pilots learn to fly with the circle, not against it.. Thermals are stronger towards their middle, so pilots will try to fly in the center of the thermal.

Flying High

Mr. Wakefield said that pilots can also fly through what are called high altitude waves, but they need clearance to be able to fly above 18,000 feet in them, because above that altitude is controlled airspace. It’s also necessary to wear an oxygen mask above 12,000 feet. Mr. Wakefield took high-altitude training at an Airforce base, back when they would train civilian pilots. One thing that they will teach you is that, above 25,000 feet, you have about three minutes of useful consciousness. At 30,000 feet, it’s about only about 30 seconds. This is why they instruct adults on airliners to put an oxygen mask on themselves first, before they put one on their child, in case of an emergency. High altitudes can make a person feel great, at first, but they can cause a brain to function poorly. Fingertips and lips will also begin to turn purple. One of the better parts of flying high, Mr. Wakefield stated, is slowing down enough to  stall speed. When you enter a speed lower than stall speeds, the plane will stop flying and start falling. However, pilots are taught how to pull out of a stall if one occurs, so Mr. Wakefield will let the plane enter a series of dives, and then safely pull up, allowing the ride to feel like a roller coaster. Being a pilot can be a lot of fun!

Nathan Kroon is a Student Leader at Living Education. He originally hails from Washington State and is a 4th generation Christian. Currently, he works at Headquarters as a Video Editor and is the Lead Landscaper at the LivingEd dorms. His hobbies include playing guitar, listening to music, drawing, and watching movies.

Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

Estimated reading time: 4 min.

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Don’t squander your Spiritual Inheritance! Embrace it instead. 

Mr. Phil West spoke for a forum, and he informed the students that they had a Spiritual inheritance from both God and their parents. He warned them not to scorn it by expounding on a powerful parable and encouraged the students to cherish and embrace their incredible inheritance. 

An Inheritance from Our Parents

Phil West began by asking how many of the students came to the Church through their parents. He then informed those who had that their parents had fulfilled Proverbs 13:22 by giving us an inheritance. “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” 

But what is our inheritance? It is something far greater than riches: God’s truth.  Mr. West continued by saying that our heavenly Father also promises an inheritance, one we will receive if we heartily serve God (Colossians 3:23-24). But we have a choice to make: Will we embrace these inheritances or scorn them? It is up to us to choose to listen to our parents and to choose to serve God. 

A Biblical Example 

The Bible has a stark example of squandering an inheritance. Mr. West turned to Luke 15:11—the parable of the prodigal son. He explained that the son demanding his inheritance while his father was still alive was disrespectful, but not unlawful. The father, no doubt gravely concerned, let his son go. The son then went out and wasted his inheritance on prodigal living, not respecting the work his father had done to give him these possessions. Young people raised by parents in the Church can do the exact same thing as the prodigal son if they leave the Church, disrespecting the inheritance of spiritual truth their parents provided. And it doesn’t end well. 

A Lesson for Us

In the parable, the prodigal son did not end up with the glamorous life he no doubt imagined. Instead he ended up poor, hungry, in servitude, and friendless. Similarly, those who leave the Church end up in slavery in Satan’s world and spiritually starving. Mr. West warned the students not to “test” the world. There is nothing but “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16), which will leave us spiritually hungry and morally exhausted. Ultimately, the prodigal son “came to himself” (Luke 15:17), stopped living in denial, and recognized his pitiful state. When it comes to those who leave the Church, Mr. West explained, we hope they come to themselves one day and return. 

The Choice and the Consequence

At this point, the prodigal son decided to return (Luke 15:18). But none of his suffering and pain had been forced on him. Mr. West compared the parable with the story of Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel were raised the same, taught the same values, and given the same chances to succeed. Yet Cain refused to listen to God, control his emotions, and rule over sin. Cain made a choice to ignore God. Abel, on the other hand, offered a more excellent sacrifice of righteousness and is remembered as righteous (Hebrews 11:4). One son chose to follow God and one did not. Similarly, the prodigal son did not have to squander his inheritance. He could have embraced it like his brother. Instead, he chose to despise his inheritance, leave, and then suffer the consequences. 

Embracing Your Inheritance

As the prodigal son returned, his father embraced him and forgave him (Luke 15:20). Through the story, Mr. West explained, the prodigal son had changed so much. First, he had been disrespectful and demanding, but now he was humbled and appreciative. His father embraced him, just like God is always there to forgive, help, and encourage us. But there is a key lesson from this parable: don’t be like the prodigal son. We can skip the suffering and mistakes by choosing to follow God and not squander our inheritance. 

Concluding, Mr. West read, “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). He warned us not to chase after wealth, lust, or the temporary things of this world while we are young, but rather to embrace our spiritual inheritance and make the most of it. 

Mr. Adam West also gave a forum recently. In his forum, Mr. Adam West explained the value of living a simple life in a chaotic world and gave practical tips for simplifying. Read his forum here: Simplify Your Life. 

Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.