Glad to be a part of this forum. I'm a pretty new Christian and have so much to learn. My parents were always SDA's so being a small child, I had to attend church with them for a few years but soon left the church in my teens and for many years, lived in the world and doing all it had to offer. It dismayed my parents but I had to find out for myself what was this "world" they always talked about that I was shielded from during my pre-teen years.
Fast forward 50 years, my dad contracted a terminal disease and it was during this time when I cared for him I heard the Lord calling.
My dad had all of Ellen G. White's books he collected from the 1950's. Each time I saw them on his bookshelf, it would terribly anger me, I guess because during my church years, I heard all those hard to understand things in church I didn't want to hear. Well, about a year after my dad's passing, I had to finally clear out his room and there was those Ellen White's books.
As I was boxing them, a voice said, "set that one aside" it was the Desire of Ages, then came The Great Controversy, Steps to Christ, Ministry of Healing and half dozen others. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop and read each book cover to cover, pretty amazing since the most I've ever read in my life was perhaps a half-inch thick book.
For the first time in my life, I knew Who Jesus was, His life and mission in this world and His great promise, and so those hated EGW books suddenly became precious to me.
It was as though Jesus was saying "you've seen the world, now it's time to come to Me"
In the years since, I've been reading on the Internet a lot of SDA church sites, forums, and blogs which is quite an eye opening experience! I've become keenly aware of those deceptions so subtle, that even the elect can be fooled working right in our midst and apparently is being highly successful.
carls365
