Ricardo, 59, is from Guatemala, and he makes me think about heaven.* When I meet him, his face is etched with lines of care. He nods quickly when I ask to take his picture but doesn’t try to smile when I hold up the camera. Three years ago, after immigrating to the United States, Ricardo suffered a stroke that left him in a coma. When he woke up in
I arrived by train early on Thursday to register as a volunteer for Your Best Pathway to Health and found the Los Angeles Convention Center already buzzing with activity. Lines for volunteers and lines of citizens in need swirled around the main floor. There was a feeling of excitement to begin meeting the need and seeing the divine appointments th
Your Best Pathway to Health volunteers began pouring into the Los Angeles Convention Center before 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26, to register for the event and receive their nametags and shirts. As volunteer registration was occurring, there was simultaneously a special registration for pre-op patients who had already signed up online to receive
Diabetes. An all-too-familiar word in our communities these days. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2014 there were 29 million people in the United States with this disease and an additional 86 million with prediabetes. These numbers have increased significantly over the past few years, and not only in the older pop
One Friday morning I heard a little boy crying on the bus. I also heard the driver say, "Do not cry, man. Are you a man or a plate of porridge?" I don’t think I would have paid much attention to what was happening if my day had started well, but I empathized with that boy. I too was moody because I’d had to wake up early to go to my internship, and
The recent evidence evaluation and announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the carcinogenicity of red and processed meat adds to numerous studies suggesting a vegetarian lifestyle as a better dietary option. A simple Google search comparison of the scholarly interest in vegetarianism between 2000 and 2015 suggests a threefold increas
In Part 1 of this article, we looked at the importance of understanding the human mind as well as some ways Satan has twisted the study of the mind. Despite the many pitfalls in the field of psychology, as a Christian and counselor, I can use my discernment to recognize that there are some theories and principles of psychology and counseling that d
“No way! Check this out!” I loudly exclaimed. Many years ago, while at the Adventist Book Center, I stumbled upon an Ellen White compilation I’d never even heard of: Mind, Character, and Personality. My wife looked at me, hit my elbow, and shushed me. Apparently I was being too loud. I couldn’t help myself; I was excited! In that instant I had foun
In 1905, Ellen G. White said that “diet materially affects the mind and disposition” (Adventist Home, p. 252). Given her level of education and lack of scientific background, few people paid attention to her statement. It would take another century before we could fully appreciate her timeless words. The Surprising Connection Between Brain and Gut
More than 1,700 medical and non-medical volunteers participated in this year’s Your Best Pathway to Health medical mission in San Antonio, Texas, from April 8 to 10. These hardy volunteers not only set up and broke down the makeshift hospital at the Alamodome, but they woke up before dawn so the clinic could open its doors to a grateful public at 7
