On the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), seven weeks after the first omer of the harvest had been presented to God, two loaves of bread were to be offered to Him (Leviticus 23:16–17). These two loaves were different from normal meal offerings in that they were leavened. What did these two different grain offerings symbolize? Why were the two loaves at the end to be leavened, and why were there two loaves offered on Pentecost?
Course Spotlight from God’s Feast Days: Pentecost
Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23
Estimated reading time: 7 min.
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In his forum, Dr. Opperman covered the accomplishments of mankind in exploring space, how the human body reacts to space, and the vastness of God’s creation. This summary gives a glimpse into Dr. Opperman’s fascinating forum.
Over 50 years ago, mankind slipped the surly bonds of Earth and set foot upon the moon. From there, man shifted his focus to Mars, flying numerous missions to the Red Planet and landing robotic explorers on its surface. These accomplishments required tremendous effort, thousands of people, and brilliant minds. Dr. Opperman showed a video titled “7 minutes of Terror” that depicts the intense challenge the rover Curiosity faced when landing on Mars. There were seven minutes from the moment the spacecraft carrying Curiosity entered the atmosphere to the moment the rover touched the surface of Mars, and it was an extremely complicated seven minutes, involving parachutes, rockets, and precise maneuvering. And it all had to happen without any human control. It takes 14 minutes for a signal to get from Mars to Earth. The Rover was on Mars for seven minutes before NASA even knew it had entered the atmosphere. All they could do was hope for its successful landing.
Curiosity survived its automated landing, and so did Perseverance, a rover almost identical to Curiosity (see actual footage of Perseverance landing on Mars). The Perseverance Rover also carried with it a little partner robot: Ingenuity. This explorer is not a rover, but essentially a remote-controlled helicopter. It is the first powered aircraft to fly on Mars! Since 2021, Perseverance has taken over 300,000 pictures of Mars, traveled 7 miles, and taken 43 soil samples. Ingenuity has flown over 50 times and now helps scout locations for Perseverance to explore.
Perseverance and Ingenuity represent the latest in NASAs missions to Mars and are major success stories. Dr. Opperman himself worked on the Perseverance mission as a member of the fault protection team. But not every mission succeeds. All countries combined have attempted 43 missions to Mars, and less than half were successful. While the Perseverance mission shows the progress mankind’s space ventures have made, man has more ambitious plans for the future, like colonizing the moon and even Mars.
The Artemis program currently aims to put man back on the moon by 2025, hoping to pave the way for “colonization” of the lunar land. But Dr. Opperman emphasized the critical fact that the human body is simply not suited for space. He explained that the lack of gravity creates issues for fluid circulation and leads to muscle atrophy and bone mass loss, even with intense exercise.
And there are bigger issues than zero-gravity, like radiation. Dr. Opperman explained that sun or intergalactic radiation is a major threat to humans, and there is simply no good solution for protection! In fact, the previous Apollo missions were miracles themselves as they all occurred during periods of low radiation. But months of space travel would make a lethal radiation event a statistical inevitability. As Dr. Opperman said, “We are mere fleshly human beings; we are ill-equipped to explore the universe in our current state.”
Mankind has walked on the moon and sent robots to Mars, yet our accomplishments are nothing compared to God’s. “Our best efforts can barely scratch the surface of exploring this incredible universe that an awesome Creator made by merely saying the word,” said Dr. Opperman. The fact is that God created everything, including the sun, the earth, and the universe as a whole, and mankind’s achievements are comparatively tiny.
Planet Earth is a massive miracle, mystifying skeptics. It is exactly the right distance from the sun—in the “Goldilocks zone”—and this makes life possible. Here, water in all three phases and mild temperatures and conditions allow for complex molecules. Additionally, Earth has an axis tilt that makes seasons, an ozone layer that protects from ultraviolet radiation, and a strong magnetic field. Even the other planets in our solar system, like Jupiter, protect Earth from comets and asteroids. And the Earth is only the beginning of God’s awesome creation.
Dr. Opperman shifted his focus to the universe as we know it, and the enormous scale in which it exists. The sun is absolutely massive—it could fit around 1.3 million Earths inside of it—and reaches temperatures of 27 million degrees Celsius in its core. And the Sun is vital to Earth for its heat and light. Light itself is not only specifically listed as a creation of God (Genesis 1:3), but also is an essential part of how we observe and explore the universe. We use light to determine composition of celestial bodies through spectroscopy, to determine distance through trigonometry, and to see if a celestial body is moving toward us or away from us via red-shift/blue-shift. We also use light as a scale for the universe’s size. Light is the fastest moving mass or energy, traveling at around 186,000 miles per second. For context, light can travel around the Earth seven-and-a-half times in a single second. If a light particle/wave traveled for a year, it would go 5.88 trillion miles! To understand the scale of a trillion, Dr. Opperman gave this example: If we were to go back in time one trillion seconds, we would find ourselves in 30,000 BC!
But in the vastness of the universe, even light seems slow. The nearest galaxy to the Milky Way is 2500 light years away, or 14,700 trillion miles! The scale of the universe is impossible for humans to comprehend.
The universe is not just overwhelming in size, but also in beauty and structure. The more we learn from instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope, the more beauty we see in the massive galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters. The more we learn about the massive universe and its trillions of stars, the more impressive Psalm 147:4 is: “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.”
The universe is so large that humans really cannot comprehend it or travel it. The fastest matter or energy can go is the speed of light, and that requires thousands of years to reach even the nearest galaxy. While we, in our current state, are not suited for such vastness, Dr. Opperman highlighted that spirit beings can move instantaneously, not limited by physical laws. Thus, the expanse of the universe awaits us as our inheritance. Dr. Opperman concluded by saying that there are trillions of planets estimated in the universe—even more than the number of stars—and maybe these planets are reserved for the future members of God’s Family!
Mr. Ames gave a forum talking all about the amazing planet that is Earth and how unique it truly is in the universe. Read about that here: Is Earth a Privileged Planet?
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: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23
Estimated reading time: 1 min.
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Music recitals are a staple of the Living Education program, but for several of the students, this was a totally new experience. Adding to the excitement, this year’s recital was held at a senior care center for the first time since 2019. Most of the students played a piano piece or sang a song, and all first-year students performed in the Living Ed Vocal Ensemble for two songs, which had been practiced as part of the music class.
The senior care center had a nice piano for the students to use, and the LivingEd students brought speakers and microphones for the singing performances. Following a few minutes of set up, the recital began at 6:30 pm and was well-attended by families, faculty, and, of course, residents. It began with individual pieces performed by Living Education students and some additional students from the music teacher’s private studio.
After these exciting renditions, the first-year Living Ed students performed the two choir songs they had been practicing in class. The recital concluded with America the Beautiful and an open invitation for all guests to sing along.
The previous events the Living Education program arranged were the men’s and women’s trips. The ladies went to Charleston and the men went hiking!
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: 5 min.
Many people who had taught there were required to gain a masters’ degree if they were to continue teaching, including Mr. Richard Ames. In this forum, he spoke to us on interpersonal communication, the subject of one of the college courses he had taken in getting this degree, and explained why it is important that we improve how we communicate with others.
Before exploring the different ways to improve our communication with others, Mr. Ames first spoke briefly on the other types of communication we most often use: intrapersonal and group. While interpersonal communication is how we talk to other people, intrapersonal communication is how we communicate with ourselves. “Basic to all forms of communication is a consciousness of self,” said Mr. Ames. In other words, you have to know how you think before you go sharing your thoughts with others. He recommended we watch his sermon “Practice Godly Meditation” for help in finding ways to teach ourselves how to think better. It is our duty to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Christ was able to instantly reject the external thoughts of Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. What can you take away from your own intrapersonal communication?
The Bible holds many lessons in how we are to communicate with each other. Mr. Ames listed some of these:
Mr. Ames stated that if you sin with your words, God will forgive you if you repent of them. It’s important that we pray for godly wisdom so that He can help to guide our words.
Mr. Ames read from the book Games People Play, by Eric Berne, to explain the types of transactions people can have during conversation. The author explains that there are three ego states a person can take in a conversation: Parent, Adult, and Child. The Parent state is instructional and controlling, the Adult state is factual and informative, and the Child state is expressive of feelings. While Mr. Ames said that while it may not be the greatest way to explain how it works, the theory can help us to see what kind of transactions in conversation are harmonious with each other. The example he gave was if one person asks another, “What time is it?”, which would be asking from an Adult state, and the other person replies “What are you asking me for?!”, from the Child state. Such a transaction would not be considered harmonious. It may be beneficial to analyze what state of mind your transactions with other people are coming from.
It is important to consider the power of positive reinforcement in conversation. Upon Christ’s baptism, God said that He was well pleased with His Son. Although Christ was already perfect, God still applied positive reinforcement to Him. We as human beings are imperfect, but it is our duty to positively reinforce our brothers and sisters in Christ. If people’s actions are met with criticism, they will tend to not repeat them. Positive reinforcement has the opposite effect, and psychologically benefits a person’s mind. Using courtesy (“thank you,” “you’re welcome,” etc.) can also help us to encourage each other.
The practice of self-disclosure, sharing personal information with others, will also help us in interpersonal communication. Quoting from his old textbook for his class on interpersonal communication, Mr. Ames said, “For someone to be important to you, you must also know something about him or her that matters to you and makes a great difference to you. If you don’t know much about the person, it is not likely that your acquaintance will amount to much of a relationship.” Mr. Ames said that his first introduction to his future wife involved finding many things that they both had in common. The more they shared, the more comfortable they felt sharing personal things with each other. Be willing to share your life with others! There may be widows in your congregation who are looking for an opportunity to be able to share their lives with others, as well. Don’t deprive them of the opportunity to do so.
The Bible tells us that it is important to look out for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3 says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” It’s a good thing to serve your neighbor and their needs. Be perceptive to what these needs may be!
If you want to improve your own interpersonal communication skills, review these five keys and apply them to your life!
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.
Scripture reveals that God established His covenant because of hesed, a Hebrew word that could be rendered into English as “covenant love.” Hesed is more than just a general type of fondness. Learn more about what it meant for the Old and New Covenants here!
Course Spotlight from God’s Feast Days: Pentecost
Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23
Estimated reading time: 4 min.
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Mr. Bueno, Area Pastor for a number of congregations in the northwestern United States, gave a fantastic forum for the Living Education – Charlotte students. In it, he explained the importance of friendship and showed how fellowship is even better!
Is having friends or being a friend a priority in our lives? If it isn’t, it should be! Studies reveal that loneliness is as harmful as alcoholism and heavy smoking. Inversely, having friends boosts our sense of belonging, confidence, and promotes healthy lifestyle choices. The Bible explains that “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). However, God’s people can have more than just friendships.
The Bible talks about friends in good ways—like how we are friends with Christ and God—and bad ways, like how friends will deliver us up to persecution (Luke 21:16). But the Bible also talks about a different relationship: fellowship. This term comes from Koinonia (G2842) and describes a close association between people with mutual interests. In fact, this term describes how Christians are all in one communion (Koinonia) in the blood and the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16). John also says, “Our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). Thus, the ideal relationship with God and one another is not friendship but fellowship.
Friendship has many benefits, but fellowship takes those benefits to a whole new level. Friends can give us a reality check by providing invaluable feedback and pointing out our flaws—hopefully in a gracious way. As the Bible says, “Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:5-6).
How does fellowship go one step further? Christians actively look out for one another. As James says, “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20). Christians give reality checks in gentleness, even bearing the burdens of others (Galatians 6:1-2).
Friends working together can accomplish more. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). How does fellowship take this one step further? We have “fellowship in the gospel” (Philippians 1:5), fulfilling the Great Commission and Ezekiel Warning. We are accomplishing an all-important work together!
Friends can help us through hard times. They can encourage and provide a helping hand. Mr. Bueno quoted The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: “Asking for help isn’t giving up…. It’s refusing to give up.” Friends are a great aid to us in our times of need. But fellowship takes this one step further.
Our friends in the world cannot help us with persecution or spiritual struggles, but our fellowship in God’s Church absolutely can. We support each other, taking comfort in knowing that while Christians suffer alike in this world but we can overcome and endure (1 Peter 5:9).
Friends keep us from being alone. Mr. Bueno again pointed to Genesis 2:18: Man was not meant to be alone. We are not meant to have this “loner” mentality that many people are developing today. According to a 2018 survey, 30% of American adults report that they are lonely. The solution is friendship. Friendship gives us good human company, and fellowship does even better. We—married, unmarried, rich, poor, old, young, etc…—are all part of the Body of Christ. In this, we experience a oneness that is unique in the universe, both with God and Christ and with one another.
Mr. Bueno concluded by encouraging the Living Education students to go beyond friendship and strive for fellowship. We can have friendship with people in the world, but we can only have true fellowship in God’s Church. He referred to a passage of Paul: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness” (2 Corinthians 6:14)? Friendships are good, but we must prioritize fellowship with God and the Church. We should push for the highest calling of friendship: fellowship.
Earlier in the program, John Strain also gave a forum talking about friendship where he focused on methods for making and keeping friendships. Read that forum here: The Best of Friends.
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.
During the year of the Exodus, the approximately seven weeks between Passover and Pentecost were marked by a journey, as the Israelites moved toward the mountain of God and entered into a covenant with their Creator. What lessons can we learn from this period of time?
Course Spotlight from God’s Feast Days: Pentecost
Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23
Estimated reading time: 5 min.
Smartphone Users, Try our mobile friendly version!
This forum summary covers Mr. Jonathan McNair’s presentation titled, Living a Life of Creativity. In it, Mr. McNair showed the students what expanded creativity looks like, how God is a God of creativity, and three steps we can all take to expand our creativity.
Mr. McNair showed a video where a composer writes an orchestral song in 10 minutes (watch here). What amazing things could we do if we had the creative power to write an orchestral song in 10 minutes? The reality is that we can, if we expand our creativity.
How do we truly become more creative? It is not just a matter of mindlessly playing music, writing, painting, etc. As Mr. McNair said, “Creativity is not anarchic. We can use principles to frame our skill and experience so we can create.”
There, in Genesis 1, is the creation account of the world as we know it today. Here, God is actively creating, which requires and exemplifies creativity, but it is not anarchic. Rather, God’s creation takes form and becomes orderly.
Similarly, God gave Noah an impeccable design for the Ark. Proportionally, it is a perfect balance of comfort, stability, and strength. But this is not to say that God only designs functionality. Passages in Exodus describe God’s design for His tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant. These show God’s attention to beauty and intricacy, with detailed instructions involving a variety of animal skins, dyes, woods, and metals.
“God is a God of creativity, a God of beauty, and a God of intricacy and design” – Mr. McNair
If anyone doubts that God cares about beauty, he should drive to a remote spot, away from lights, wait until nighttime, and then simply look up; then, there can be no doubt. As King David said, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).
God is creative. Humans want to be creative. Our lives would be incredible and more enjoyable if we had expanded creativity. So how can we be more creative? Mr. McNair gave three ways to become more creative in whatever field we enjoy.
“In whatever endeavor you want to be creative in, learn the patterns that have already been built, explored, and laid out” (McNair). The composer in the video used musical theory and the instruments that exist in an orchestra—conventional patterns for music—to create his song. We can do the same in our endeavor by studying the example of others and reading books on the subject. As the old saying goes, there is no need to reinvent the wheel.
“Creativity doesn’t come out of nowhere. It doesn’t come from people who don’t know what they’re doing, that don’t have experience, that don’t have skills” (McNair). We cannot skip steps and expect to be creative in a positive way. Using the video as an example again, that composer was an excellent piano player (and singer, I might add) and clearly studied musical theory. Even with only ten minutes, he took the time to plan his song, paying close attention to the part each section would play. Creativity is built on the little things. A creation is good when all those little things are just right. This takes skill, planning, and careful consideration.
“Oftentimes, creativity is a team effort” (McNair). The composer could not have made a song without the orchestra. Much of the creative endeavors in our lives will involve other people, and often our best creations will be the result of a group effort where other people contribute ideas and improvements. In light of this, we should not view other people as stepping stones or a means to end, but rather as companions and helpers. We should learn not to be in competition with others, but in cooperation. “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).
This is a question we should consider and use to inspire us to be more creative. Expanded creativity that brings a more full and exciting life is right there; all we need to do is learn the patterns that exist, get the little things right, and work in harmony with others. It is right there for us to grab. The real question is, will we actually do it?
Expanding our creativity is a long process with ups and downs. Sticking with it takes tenacity. Mr. Julian Braddock, a minister-in-training, recently gave a forum presentation on developing tenacity in our lives. Read about that here: Our Need for Tenacity.
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: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23
Estimated reading time: 4 min.
Smartphone Users, Try our mobile friendly version!
Mr. West showed the Living Education students how to avoid stress, complication, and chaos. The answer is to simplify your life. He explained the power of simplification with a story, and he gave three steps we can all take.
Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian explorer who studied Polynesian culture and history. He postulated that the natives of Polynesia were not from Asia but rather South America. This hypothesis was doubted because no one believed the primitive South American rafts could survive the 5,000 mile trip from Peru to French Polynesia. To prove it was possible, Thor Heyerdahl constructed an authentic balsa wood raft with primitive technology and set sail with a small crew from Peru in 1947, with no modern equipment. For 101 days, Thor and his crew survived on evaporated water and fish, using only the wind for power and the sun, moon and stars to navigate. For 101 days, Thor Heyerdahl knew how little a man needs to survive. This led him to say, “Progress is man’s ability to complicate simplicity.”
Our world today is hectic, overwhelming, and often too complicated for us to handle. Mr. West recalled the three mandates he received at Ambassador college: learn to teach, simplify your life, and come out of this world. Today, that second mandate is as critical as ever. How can we simplify our lives?
Christ gave his followers their priority: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). God must be our first priority! Christ set the perfect example for us. Never once do we see Christ get distracted by food, clothes, homes, or money. Instead, He leads a simple life, traveling, teaching, and always doing God’s will.
So many distractions will try to take our attention. We should spend more time outdoors, more time engaging with others, more time expanding ourselves, and less time on technology. We must bring structure to our days, making sure the first things are put first.
Leonardo Da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” We should regularly go through our possessions and remove whatever is unnecessary for our focus. The Apostle Paul told Christians to do all things “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). Christ further clarified that we should not “lay up treasures on earth” but rather “lay up treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20). We must not hoard physical possessions in an unorganized, unprofitable way that distracts us from our ultimate goal.
In the book of Ephesians, we find this admonition. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). This phrase, redeeming the time, means to buy back time, making the most of every minute. We must recognize our time, energy, and stamina are finite resources. Here are five practical methods to redeem the time.
Thor Heyerdahl lived the simple life for 101 days, but he achieved a great deal in those days. We are called to achieve much, much more, and we must live simply to maintain that laser focus that we need. Our life is not complex. As Solomon said, mankind only has two duties: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.” – Ecclesiastes 12:13.
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.
What are “firstfruits”? Do they have spiritual significance in God’s plan? In order to understand the concept of “firstfruits,” we need to understand the physical harvest pattern in ancient Israel.
Course Spotlight from God’s Feast Days: Pentecost