October 20, 2010

Crunch Time

 
SPORTS FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD KNOW THE TERM CRUNCH TIME.
 
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary it is “a critical moment or period . . . when decisive action is needed.” The last two minutes of a game, the penalty shootout, the overtime that determines victory or defeat.
 
No, I am not obsessed with time, even though I have written about a different aspect of time recently (“Timing,” Adventist Review, Sept. 16, 2010, p. 31). Matter of fact, my living in different parts of the world has been very healthy for my “time-consciousness.”
 
As I digest the fifty-ninth General Conference session, I cannot help noticing that this is crunch time for us as a church. In a world of relative values and convictions God calls us to base ourselves firmly on Scripture—including also the biblical concept of a literal seven-day, 24-hour, consecutive Creation week, undertaken by a powerful Creator who spoke life into being. I cannot understand this, I cannot replicate it in a laboratory. I believe it because over the years I have gotten to know the Creator personally, and because Scripture tells me so.
 
It is also crunch time for our mission. In spite of our best efforts to reach the 10/40 window and the thousands of 1-million-plus communities without an Adventist presence over the past 20 years; in spite of many miracles, it seems as if every day the gap between those who know the gospel and those who don’t increases. Crunch time requires a concerted effort and—above all—a team that pulls together and acts like a team. As an avid (at least in my younger years) volleyball and soccer player I know how crucial team focus and team effort are. The winning team is generally the one that has a clear vision of what needs to be done, is committed to the team as a whole, and then moves forward without hesitation. Seventh-day Adventists all around the globe—move forward, united in this crunch time of earth’s history. 
 
______
*“Timing,” Adventist Review, Sept. 16, 2010, p. 31.
 
__________
Gerald A. Klingbeil is an associate editor of the Adventist Review. This article was published October 21, 2010.

Advertisement
Advertisement