You know, I have a saying: Rules
without relationship result in
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rebellion. Religion can be
filled with rules but it doesn't
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draw us closer to the
Lord. Relationship is full of
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salvation and satisfaction.
Stay tuned and learn more.
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Music is playing.
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Hi, I'm Shelley Quinn and we're
so glad that you're joining us
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today for Issues and Answers.
You are, I believe, really going
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to enjoy this program because
we're going to be looking at a
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familiar topic in a different
way. What we'll be looking at is
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the Sabbath and how to have
a Sabbath that's not dominated
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by rules, but a Sabbath that
is dominated by relationship, a
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Sabbath that you will really
enjoy, a Sabbath that will bring
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honor to the Lord. Right now
it is my distinct pleasure to
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introduce you to our
very distinguished guest
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Dr. May-Ellen Colon. Dr. May
Ellen, we're so glad that you're
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here with us today.
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It's a real
privilege and pleasure.
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Now you are the assistant
director for Sabbath School and
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Personal Ministries of
the General Conference of the
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Seventh-day Adventist Church,
right? Right. That's a mouthful
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but you're also the author of
a book From Sundown to Sundown:
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How to Keep the
Sabbath and Enjoy It.
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We're going to be talking today
and even a few programs more
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about your journey in learning
how to get away from just
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ritualistic rules to really
finding meaning in the Sabbath.
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But what I wanted to do before
we actually begin is let's let
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our audience know a little bit
about you. Tell us just a little
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bit about who you are and
just kind of encapsulate your
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personal story quickly.
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Well, I grew up in the church
in a low income project and so
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the church actually became the
center of my happiness. Anything
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that happened in my life
happened at the church because
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my neighborhood didn't offer
very much. So I grew up rather
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devoted and also to performance.
You know, I wanted to show my
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loyalty to the church and so I
tried to follow the program, get
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with the program, so to speak
and that meant being careful
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that I did observed the rules
and the expectations. It wasn't
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until I got to college when
I really realized that it's not
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how I look and how well I'm
doing, because a person that is
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well organized and self
disciplined can be better at
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performing certain rules and
expectations than someone who is
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probably more laid back.
So when that approach is taken
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it's more about the person.
When I really realized I was a
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sophomore in college Morris
Venden came to our college and
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he shared this message all week
of which the bottom line was
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grapevines don't bear grapes,
in order to be grapevines, but
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because they are grapevines and
the same with apple trees, the
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same with cherry trees. When it
comes to Christians, Christians
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don't do good works in order to
be Christians but because they
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are Christians.
Exactly. I relate to you so well
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May-Ellen because I grew up
also fairly poor after my father
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was killed. We were poor. But I
also grew up having no sense of
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identity in a way. I felt that
I has to be perfect to be loved
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at home. Perfection was rather
much demanded. I was taught
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in a denomination, the church
I went to, that God demanded
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perfection. He was going to spew
you out of his mouth if you give
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him anything less than and so
I was very performance oriented,
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always trying, not outperform
others, but trying to do my very
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best to be accepted. I had a
love affair with the Lord and
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the church was also my center,
but I didn't really have any
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security. So that's kind of
where you were till Morris came
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along. Yes, Yes. Now you met
your husband at college and tell
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us a little bit about what your
experience has been as a married
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couple. Well when
we got married by then
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we said we really would like to
go overseas someday and be in a
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foreign mission. We thought
well, we both feel pretty good
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about cultures that aren't ours,
in fact, I basically married
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across a culture because
my husband is from Puerto Rico
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and he married across, he
married a gringa as they say,
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and so we had already
experienced that idea.
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So we put our name in
the secretariat at General
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Conference and we got several
calls during the several years
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after that. We had calls to
various places, but it was never
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the right time; either we
had just gotten transferred to
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another church or something.
He was pastoring? Yes he was
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pastoring and he went back and
forth between departmental work
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and pastoring. But finally in
1988 it was the right time and
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we said, We're going to have to
do it now or we may never do it.
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Our children were 4 and 6 and we
said, Okay, we're going Lord and
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a call came, well two calls
came at the same time, but the
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one we took was in Abidjan, West
Africa. It was then called the
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African-Indian Ocean Division.
My husband dealt with the health
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ministries and spent some time
in the ministerial department,
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too, as one of their associates.
We were working together as
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directors of family
ministries for the division.
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Now when you were in Africa
did you find that they practiced
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certain things about our
religion, if you will, I guess
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religion, or doctrinal truths,
I believe they have the same
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doctrinal truths but were there
different practices specifically
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on the Sabbath? Well I
noticed... We had a lot
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of folks from Europe there
also as missionaries and some
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from the Philippines and it
seemed like there were different
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attitudes and different how-to's
in keeping the Sabbath in their
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particular homes and also we'd
travel to other countries, too,
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to get from home to Africa
and we just noticed different
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patterns in different parts
of the world of keeping the
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Sabbath and they be opposite
to each other but yet they were
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condoned in that particular
culture. It got to be confusing.
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So I said, There's got to be
a way to find a guide that cross
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culturally will help straighten
this out in my mind at least.
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So I had my antennas up then
to look for some way to decide
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cross-culturally how to
keep the Sabbath and live it.
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You know, in Mark 2:27-
28, Jesus said this. He said,
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The Sabbath was made for
man and not man for the Sabbath.
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So God made the Sabbath as a
gift for man, but then he goes
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and he says, Therefore the Son
of Man is also the Lord of the
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Sabbath. I think sometime
that what we forget is what this
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Sabbath is all about. Your
little boy said something to
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you... I know that I interviewed
you on the Today program. You
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shared a story that happened
actually before you went to
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Africa when you were in church
and you were singing a song
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Sabbath is a Happy Day. Your
little boy tugged on you as a
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4- year-old and said, No
it's not Mama. Now that was the
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beginning of a journey that got
your feelers up and now you're
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looking for ways to make
the Sabbath more meaningful for
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your children. Because you were
a minister and his wife you were
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very busy on Sabbath days.
But how did you go from this
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personal search of trying
to make it more meaningful for
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your family to writing
actually a dissertation for
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your doctorate and then writing
the book, From Sundown to
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Sundown: How to Keep
the Sabbath and Enjoy It.
00:09:00.29\00:09:02.34
Well after he said that we tried
to be more intentional even
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though we had a busy day often
of meetings and visiting other
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people. When we went to people's
houses one of us tried to sit
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with the children and not just
visit with the adults, maybe
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look at a story book or
something with them and we tried
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to carve out at least a time
slot during the Sabbath even if
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it was a busy one to be
with them; just something simple
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even if it meant sitting on
a blanket out in the yard or in
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the middle of the field, just to
focus on them. Then when we went
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to Africa as we went around the
Africa-Indian Ocean Division and
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did seminars on family ministry,
we had one series of seminars we
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did on family wellness. One
of those wellness features of a
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family that is well is that the
family is spiritual. So we were
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doing that particular seminar
in Rwanda. As we were talking
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about how to make your family
more spiritual and have family
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worship and all of that, this
little lady raises her hand and
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says, Sabbath is a very unhappy
day for my family with all my
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children. It's just so difficult
and it's not happy and I end the
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day more tired than when
I started. How can I make it
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better. Do you have some
suggestions how to live it
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better? It caught me by
surprise. That was not part of
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the script. In fact, the others
jumped in and then the seminar
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turned from family worship to
how to enjoy Sabbath; that was
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what the rest of
the time was used for.
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So what you're saying to me
or what I'm picking up is that
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people had lost the meaning
of why God gave us the Sabbath.
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It was almost like a day
that was taken away from us by a
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demanding God instead of a gift
of love given to us by a loving
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God, you know, and
the folks were having...
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Oh that's excellent. I cannot
tell you how many people that I
00:11:00.49\00:11:05.50
know that fit into that category
people who feel like that this
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is a day that a demanding God
has stolen out of my schedule
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rather than looking at it as
a gift from a loving God saying
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This is the day for you to
come vacation with me, right?
00:11:17.98\00:11:21.45
Yes. If we could somehow reframe
it, but that's being intentional
00:11:21.49\00:11:26.97
reframing. So that little lady
really got my attention, because
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I could have answered to her
what was the right day. I was
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pretty good at proving what was
the right day and the doctrinal
00:11:35.19\00:11:38.18
theological background, but
how in the world do you live it?
00:11:38.21\00:11:41.16
The answers I gave her were,
I feel, shallow as I look back,
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and so I said, I'm going to make
a seminar to help me. One of my
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classes in my doctoral program
was to make some kind of a
00:11:50.38\00:11:54.30
resource for your field, my area
was religious education. So I
00:11:54.34\00:11:58.31
said, I'm going to make
a seminar for the Sabbath.
00:11:58.35\00:12:01.52
So I did research and
interviewed different people and
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came up with a seminar on how to
really live the Sabbath. I took
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that all around Russia
when we were over there...
00:12:08.76\00:12:10.91
More importantly, you actually
put it into practice at home.
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That was my journey and it
helped me to put it, I'm glad
00:12:14.90\00:12:18.75
you brought that up, it helped
me in my own family to live it.
00:12:18.79\00:12:22.61
I have a double motivation
because I can't be out there
00:12:22.65\00:12:26.68
preaching this if
I'm not doing it myself.
00:12:26.72\00:12:28.44
May-Ellen, that is so true
because this is something...
00:12:28.47\00:12:31.50
I can't really teach anything
with any anointing or with any
00:12:31.53\00:12:34.87
conviction if I'm not
living it in my own life, right?
00:12:34.90\00:12:37.68
Yes. It has to be something that
I love and part of me, not just
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a head thing that I know.
00:12:41.91\00:12:43.75
So through your experience,
taking it from the head to the
00:12:43.78\00:12:48.14
heart, not just
the head but the heart.
00:12:48.17\00:12:49.94
And then the hand after
that. And the hand, that's good,
00:12:49.97\00:12:52.59
the head, the heart to the hand.
Your experience, tell us how did
00:12:52.62\00:12:57.16
you determine what things you
would practice on the Sabbath?
00:12:57.20\00:13:02.05
You know, as I was teasing
to this program I happened to
00:13:02.09\00:13:06.86
comment to you that rules
without relationship result in
00:13:06.90\00:13:10.73
rebellion and I know so many
people, including my husband
00:13:10.76\00:13:15.23
when he grew up, that the
rules about Sabbath were so
00:13:15.26\00:13:19.65
restrictive and it was on the
Sabbath you can't do this, you
00:13:19.69\00:13:23.48
can't do this, you can't
and Sabbath was a day of don'ts,
00:13:23.52\00:13:27.24
a day of restrictions. So how
did you determine what practices
00:13:27.28\00:13:34.45
your family would
enjoy on the Sabbath?
00:13:34.48\00:13:37.55
Well, again it was a journey.
After I did that seminar well
00:13:37.58\00:13:42.98
it came time to do the
dissertation and I realized
00:13:43.01\00:13:48.44
well Sabbath is a very good
religious education issue since
00:13:48.48\00:13:51.78
that was what I was working on
and it's a very key one I think.
00:13:51.81\00:13:55.08
So I said well I'm going to
do a dissertation on this issue.
00:13:55.12\00:13:58.54
So I started. You know, you have
to do a review of literature,
00:13:58.57\00:14:02.08
that's chapter two usually
in some dissertations, and so I
00:14:02.11\00:14:05.40
said, I'm going to study
the scripture with my Sabbath
00:14:05.43\00:14:08.89
how-do-I-live-the-Sabbath eye
glasses on. I started doing that
00:14:08.92\00:14:13.81
and I found different patterns
of different texts, stories and
00:14:13.84\00:14:19.45
texts and things that give hints
on how I could turn this into a
00:14:19.48\00:14:24.19
practice. They helped me to get
some principles. For example,
00:14:24.22\00:14:28.90
when I read about Jesus, there
were seven healing miracles that
00:14:28.93\00:14:33.76
are recorded in the gospels.
Nice number. Yes, seven Sabbath
00:14:33.79\00:14:37.57
healing miracles. So I realized
that's a principle. So healing
00:14:37.60\00:14:43.11
has got to be a principle that
we live by on Sabbath because
00:14:43.14\00:14:46.45
Jesus healed. I looked at other
things. I read about the places
00:14:46.48\00:14:52.47
where it said God rested.
I ended up with around 15
00:14:52.50\00:14:56.91
different patterns or principles
as I studied the scripture.
00:14:56.94\00:15:02.54
Now some people may find
10, some people may find 12, but
00:15:02.57\00:15:06.64
for this
dissertation I ended up with 15.
00:15:06.67\00:15:10.19
So now explain to us what...
because different people have
00:15:10.22\00:15:16.41
assigned different values to
different words, so what is the
00:15:16.44\00:15:20.94
difference between a principle,
define a principle compared to
00:15:20.97\00:15:26.03
say a rule. Well,
one of my favorite
00:15:26.06\00:15:30.11
teachers at Andrews, John and
Nellie Youngberg, I had both of
00:15:30.14\00:15:33.83
them, John used to say: Rules
are many, principles are few,
00:15:33.86\00:15:39.05
rules sometimes change,
but principles never do.
00:15:39.08\00:15:44.73
So a principle is a universal,
timeless foundation to help
00:15:44.76\00:15:51.75
guide our practices and we
can apply these principles.
00:15:51.78\00:15:57.07
You know, there's room within
the principles, for example that
00:15:57.10\00:16:02.82
I have delineated about the
Sabbath keeping, within each
00:16:02.85\00:16:05.88
culture there's room for
individual application within
00:16:05.91\00:16:09.29
that culture. So principles are
more foundational and they are
00:16:09.32\00:16:13.11
for all time, for all people,
and they are in the scripture
00:16:13.14\00:16:15.96
when we are addressing this
subject and then each culture
00:16:15.99\00:16:19.62
that takes that principle; Oh
the principles of healing, how
00:16:19.65\00:16:22.31
can I apply that in Spain or
how can I apply that in Zambia.
00:16:22.34\00:16:28.28
Or the principle of rest;
how can I apply that. You find
00:16:28.31\00:16:32.97
your cultural application of
that, but you try to be true to
00:16:33.00\00:16:37.17
the principle. You
said to me before we came
00:16:37.20\00:16:39.86
out here that rules are kind of
like, what did you compare to,
00:16:39.89\00:16:44.13
a soccer field? Explain
that because I liked that.
00:16:44.16\00:16:47.21
Oh, well, if you have a soccer
field or a basketball court
00:16:47.24\00:16:52.36
there are lines. You know,
you have an option of either
00:16:52.39\00:16:55.62
throwing an old sock in
each corner and say that's the
00:16:55.65\00:16:58.79
boundaries or you have some
clearly delineated lines that
00:16:58.82\00:17:03.51
are drawn. If you don't have
the lines, you know, we can get
00:17:03.54\00:17:09.16
into a real hassle about where
the ball went and whose foot
00:17:09.19\00:17:13.83
landed where and who was out of
bounds and all this, and then it
00:17:13.86\00:17:17.13
becomes a very legalistic game
and it takes the joy. But when
00:17:17.16\00:17:21.90
you have some clear principles
to follow then you can play the
00:17:21.93\00:17:27.70
game and enjoy it. In
fact, Marva Dawn, one of my
00:17:27.73\00:17:30.72
favorite authors, maybe some of
you have heard of it, she wrote
00:17:30.75\00:17:34.02
a book called Keeping
the Sabbath Wholly. She is a
00:17:34.05\00:17:40.34
Lutheran writer I believe
and she said that if we have
00:17:40.37\00:17:44.45
intentionality on the Sabbath,
intentional principles we follow
00:17:44.48\00:17:50.49
it frees us from legalism
and we can enjoy the game.
00:17:50.52\00:17:57.49
Amen and hope that the
rules aren't so many when you
00:17:57.52\00:18:00.77
understand the principle, you
can have the practice of that
00:18:00.80\00:18:10.08
principle, how can I say this?
The practice of the principle
00:18:10.11\00:18:13.80
when it's really in your heart,
you don't have to have so many
00:18:13.83\00:18:16.56
rules. Yes and
you know something,
00:18:16.59\00:18:18.82
if you operate... now we're
going to take the principle to
00:18:18.85\00:18:21.96
the next level about reflecting
a certain characteristic of God
00:18:21.99\00:18:26.43
through every principle... I'll
talk about that in a minute,
00:18:26.46\00:18:28.90
but when you operate above
the rule level on the principle
00:18:28.93\00:18:34.16
level and every
principle reflects a certain
00:18:34.19\00:18:37.37
characteristic of God, the
way I've broken it down in this
00:18:37.40\00:18:40.45
particular book, the standards
are higher than ever, they are
00:18:40.48\00:18:45.82
higher than ever!
Would you agree it's the
00:18:45.85\00:18:47.61
difference like little children
need rules about don't touch
00:18:47.64\00:18:52.53
the stove, it's hot, don't
do this, don't do that, but as a
00:18:52.56\00:18:56.47
child becomes more mature they
understand these things are hot,
00:18:56.50\00:19:00.40
you don't have to worry about
these rules, is that correct?
00:19:00.43\00:19:03.79
It's in their heart and
it's theirs and they have the
00:19:03.82\00:19:06.55
motivation and then they go
beyond just the bare minimum.
00:19:06.58\00:19:12.87
I like what you said; you
mentioned that when you went to
00:19:12.90\00:19:16.65
scriptures this time in
preparation for your literary
00:19:16.68\00:19:20.68
review in your dissertation,
that you had your, so to speak,
00:19:20.71\00:19:24.73
Sabbath glasses on. You were
looking for Sabbath principles.
00:19:24.76\00:19:30.50
Now you actually kind of had,
if we could say, three lenses in
00:19:30.53\00:19:35.40
those Sabbath glasses. Why
don't you set that up for us.
00:19:35.43\00:19:38.28
Okay, so far we've talked
about the rule level or the
00:19:38.31\00:19:42.85
practice level and we talked
about the principle. I guess we
00:19:42.88\00:19:45.63
can call those a lens too, and
we talked about the principle
00:19:45.66\00:19:49.37
lenses that we looked through to
help us decide how to live the
00:19:49.40\00:19:54.67
Sabbath and now there's
something even better than that
00:19:54.70\00:20:00.13
to follow, oh well, I shouldn't
say better but helpful,
00:20:00.16\00:20:03.11
extremely helpful. Whenever I
want to make a decision on how
00:20:03.14\00:20:10.01
to act or how to live sometimes
I try to find a hero to emulate
00:20:10.04\00:20:15.03
and that gives me... that's the
value of reading biographies and
00:20:15.06\00:20:17.53
so forth of noble people. So
as I think of God he has certain
00:20:17.56\00:20:25.54
characteristics, I just
love him when I think of these
00:20:25.57\00:20:29.50
characteristics. For example:
He is a healer, he is love, he
00:20:29.53\00:20:38.19
wants to relate to us and have
an intimate relation with us
00:20:38.22\00:20:43.41
and so forth and so forth.
He's affirming and on and on.
00:20:43.44\00:20:48.07
I realized when I thought
of God some of these principles
00:20:48.10\00:20:53.02
that I had dug up for my
dissertation apply to God.
00:20:53.05\00:20:57.79
You know this is how God is.
So these are principles that he
00:20:57.82\00:21:02.89
goes by so that's the third
lens; what characteristic of God
00:21:02.92\00:21:06.81
do I want to emulate when I
live the Sabbath or any other
00:21:06.84\00:21:11.90
life style? Let me make sure I'm
00:21:11.93\00:21:14.49
understanding you. So
the principle reflects some
00:21:14.52\00:21:20.57
characteristic of the person
of God. So when you are looking
00:21:20.60\00:21:25.77
at this thing, you can either
say, I'm looking at my rule,
00:21:25.80\00:21:30.09
is this really part of
the principle, is there a good
00:21:30.12\00:21:34.62
principle to this rule? Does
this reflect the person of God?
00:21:34.65\00:21:39.54
Or you can start from the other
side and say, I'm looking at my
00:21:39.57\00:21:43.79
God; now what is the principle
about the Sabbath that reflects
00:21:43.82\00:21:48.19
his character and knowing that
what will be my practice, in
00:21:48.22\00:21:52.64
other words, my
rules? Is that correct?
00:21:52.67\00:21:54.70
Yes, and those are three lenses
that we can either test the rule
00:21:54.73\00:21:57.56
we already have, you know,
what's the principle and what's
00:21:57.59\00:22:01.27
the characteristic of God or
we can say, All right, I want to
00:22:01.30\00:22:04.03
keep the Sabbath, where do I
start and you think of different
00:22:04.06\00:22:08.42
characteristics that God has.
You know, we should have this
00:22:08.45\00:22:12.90
for all of our lifestyle
practices, but the Sabbath is
00:22:12.93\00:22:16.16
the day above all days that we
should certainly use this model.
00:22:16.19\00:22:21.11
So when you start looking
through these lenses, if you
00:22:21.14\00:22:25.15
will, the lens of the person
or character of God, the lens of
00:22:25.18\00:22:28.98
the principle and the precepts
under that, this helped you to
00:22:29.01\00:22:34.21
see the Sabbath in a new way
and we have that graphic on the
00:22:34.24\00:22:38.06
screen right now so our viewers
can see those three P's, the
00:22:38.09\00:22:41.30
person, the principle and
the precept overlapping there.
00:22:41.33\00:22:44.67
Now May-Ellen, where did you
get this concept of these three
00:22:44.70\00:22:50.25
lenses. I just
happened to read a book
00:22:50.28\00:22:53.21
by Josh McDowell and Bob
Hostetler called Right From
00:22:53.24\00:22:56.66
Wrong and it was a book
about how young people can make
00:22:56.69\00:23:02.06
principled choices and some
of the struggles that they're up
00:23:02.09\00:23:05.94
against. I thought, Wow, a light
bulb went on; this can apply
00:23:05.97\00:23:09.64
to the Sabbath issue that
I've been studying and to any
00:23:09.67\00:23:12.33
Christian lifestyle issue. The
Sabbath sometimes for some folks
00:23:12.36\00:23:16.99
is among one of the harder ones
to live. In the dissertation, I
00:23:17.02\00:23:21.54
was just dealing with principles
and rules, you know, living at
00:23:21.57\00:23:25.57
the principle level and I found
those principles. Now I said,
00:23:25.61\00:23:29.93
now I can add another dimension
to make Sabbath all about him,
00:23:29.96\00:23:33.96
it's really all about him, and
principles really don't explain
00:23:33.99\00:23:37.96
it enough to how to really...
00:23:37.99\00:23:39.27
Not until you understand that
they are representative of the
00:23:39.30\00:23:43.75
character of God. Yes
and this book gave me the
00:23:43.78\00:23:47.59
the idea when you want to make
a lifestyle decision, in this
00:23:47.63\00:23:50.94
case it's the Sabbath, what
we're talking about, you think
00:23:50.97\00:23:54.28
about a person you love, that
you honor, that is one of your
00:23:54.32\00:23:57.59
heroes and what is he or
she like? So I started thinking
00:23:57.63\00:24:01.28
about God in relationship
to those principles I'd already
00:24:01.31\00:24:04.93
found and I found a
characteristic of God that
00:24:04.97\00:24:09.29
matched every one of
those principles that I'd found.
00:24:09.32\00:24:11.55
You know, for example, I had the
principle of healing. Well God
00:24:11.59\00:24:16.26
is a healer. And the principle
of resting on the Sabbath; well
00:24:16.30\00:24:20.47
God rested on the Sabbath and
Jesus modeled it when he was on
00:24:20.51\00:24:24.65
earth. And the principle of just
00:24:24.68\00:24:25.88
honoring that rest. You had
a story in the book. We have
00:24:25.92\00:24:30.59
just a few minutes. I don't know
if you can tell it very quickly,
00:24:30.62\00:24:32.54
but there was a story about
a friend who was a realtor and
00:24:32.57\00:24:36.00
whether or not to show a piece
of property on the Sabbath. Can
00:24:36.04\00:24:39.43
you set that up for us?
00:24:39.47\00:24:40.44
Yes. A friend of my named Kathy
told me this story, it's in the
00:24:40.47\00:24:44.36
book too that I wrote. She was
busy arranging some artifacts in
00:24:44.39\00:24:49.02
her house and then her
son was on the phone with
00:24:49.05\00:24:51.83
her aunt who was trying so hard
00:24:51.86\00:24:53.84
to sell some property in North
Carolina and the realtor had
00:24:53.87\00:24:57.38
just announced to her that she
was going to show this property
00:24:57.42\00:25:00.92
on Sabbath. And the aunt said,
What can I do, I'm not even
00:25:00.95\00:25:04.36
going to be there. Maybe it's
just knit picking. You know, it
00:25:04.39\00:25:08.54
was a rule that she said
well I don't want her to show it
00:25:08.58\00:25:12.66
but I'm not going to be there,
so what does it matter? So Kathy
00:25:12.70\00:25:16.48
started sharing with her.
Apparently she had read the same
00:25:16.51\00:25:20.06
book I had. So you have these
three lenses to look through to
00:25:20.10\00:25:23.43
test any decision we're going
to make so that you can really
00:25:23.47\00:25:27.65
see what you want to do. So
she said, Okay aunt. She took
00:25:27.69\00:25:32.28
the phone. Yes it says and
if we have the diagram up here
00:25:32.32\00:25:36.32
you'll see the first
thing she mentioned: It says in
00:25:36.35\00:25:40.28
Exodus 20:10, Don't allow
your stranger who is within your
00:25:40.31\00:25:44.73
gates to work, and you know that
was her work, which was showing
00:25:44.76\00:25:50.02
property. But she said, we can
rationalize that away; Oh I'm
00:25:50.05\00:25:54.61
not going to be there and so
on and it's just a small thing
00:25:54.64\00:25:58.52
and so there has to be another
way to decide what to do. So
00:25:58.56\00:26:02.40
Let's go on to the principle
level, the second lens and that
00:26:02.44\00:26:07.15
is, well of course obeying not
to let your stranger work within
00:26:07.19\00:26:11.63
your gate, obeying the Lord as
a response for our love to him,
00:26:11.66\00:26:16.20
but also trusting him to take
care of what I leave undone on
00:26:16.24\00:26:20.25
Sabbath, which in this
case would be not show property.
00:26:20.28\00:26:24.26
Trust him in what I
leave undone on the Sabbath.
00:26:24.29\00:26:27.30
So there are two principles,
two scriptural principles
00:26:27.33\00:26:29.74
How does this
reflect the person?
00:26:29.77\00:26:31.97
Well, Jesus was an example
of trust and obey. In Gethsemane
00:26:32.00\00:26:38.55
he said, Not my will but
thine be done. He modeled that
00:26:38.59\00:26:44.04
trusting God with the
outcome even if the decision was
00:26:44.07\00:26:49.46
difficult. So that would be the
third lens. So she shared that
00:26:49.49\00:26:54.14
with her aunt. You know, Aunt,
this is a decision. You know,
00:26:54.18\00:26:59.40
it's all about God; are you
trusting him, can you trust him
00:26:59.44\00:27:04.62
to sell that property.
So she didn't show it on the
00:27:04.66\00:27:07.59
Sabbath. She didn't. What
happened? Well she sold that
00:27:07.63\00:27:10.53
property plus another one.
00:27:10.57\00:27:12.19
Praise God. So when she
reflected the character of Jesus
00:27:12.23\00:27:17.02
obeying and trusting in his
Father and God did take care of
00:27:17.06\00:27:21.82
what she left
undone on the Sabbath.
00:27:21.85\00:27:23.53
And it made her aunt feel
so good that it's about God.
00:27:23.56\00:27:27.30
It's an about God decision, not
just a little knit picky rule
00:27:27.34\00:27:31.06
level. You know,
this time has flown by
00:27:31.10\00:27:34.02
and we're going to ask you
to come back and we're going to
00:27:34.05\00:27:36.65
really delve into some wonderful
Sabbath practices and wonderful
00:27:36.68\00:27:43.40
Sabbath traditions.
May-Ellen, thank you so much
00:27:43.44\00:27:44.77
for being here
today. You're welcome.
00:27:44.80\00:27:46.59
I hope that you have enjoyed
this time with May-Ellen Colon.
00:27:46.63\00:27:50.91
She's the author of From Sundown
to Sundown: Keeping the Sabbath
00:27:50.94\00:27:55.97
and Enjoying It. We are seeing
that the Sabbath is all about
00:27:56.01\00:28:00.81
him. It's a gift, a day that
he has given to us and this is a
00:28:00.84\00:28:05.67
day that he wants us to call a
delight. Now I pray for you that
00:28:05.70\00:28:10.49
God be with you always.
00:28:10.53\00:28:14.59