Adventist Review Podcasts
Weekly podcasts from the Adventist Review, a publication of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The podcast covers topics related to faith, spirituality, and church news. It aims to inform and inspire listeners with discussions on biblical teachings and current events from an Adventist perspective.
Episodes
NSD's New President Almost Missed the Call | unScripted EP 41
Ten minutes before boarding a flight home to Egypt, Pastor Sun Hwan Kim got a call that changed his life: he had been elected president of the North Asia-Pacific Division. At Annual Council 2026, Justin Kim sits down with him just days after the election. Pastor Kim shares how the news reached him, offers a pastoral word to Korean church members discouraged by recent financial loss, and describes
Lamb Priest King by David Asscherick
“What’s the deal with the sanctuary? Does it really matter?” Over breakfast, a young, on-fire Adventist pastor fired off question after question, wondering whether the doctrine was just an artifact better left in the dustbin of history. Then one answer stopped him cold: “Say that again!” In this Theology feature, David Asscherick pulls up a chair and invites you into that two-hour conversation, tr
The Greatest Offering by Hatsarmaveth Venkaya
What would you do if your neighbors piled their garbage at your door every single night? In this Lifestyle feature, Hatsarmaveth Venkaya tells of a missionary in the Middle East who faced exactly that, and chose a response few of us would expect. From the garden of Eden to a poor widow’s two copper coins and Mary’s broken alabaster flask, Venkaya traces what Scripture reveals about the true meanin
Why a Division President Resigned | unScripted EP 40
Annual Council 2026 is wrapped, and Shawn and Justin break it down from the General Conference atrium. They cover the leadership transition and a Korean financial situation that led a division president to step aside, the One Voice 27 and All Things New mission push, and plans to revise the church manual for the 2030 session. They also share membership numbers (24.7 million as of mid-2026), a 2028
Who Really Writes the Adventist Church's Rules? | unScripted EP 39
The church's Working Policy turns 100 this year, and Shawn asks the questions you've wondered about. Joined by Hensley and Tami from the General Conference Secretariat, he explores why the church has policy, how a 63-page pocketbook became a worldwide book, and whether policy slows mission or helps it go faster. They explain policy variances, how a proposal travels from a local church to Annual Co
Assurance in the Judgment by Richard Davidson
Why would anyone long for the judgment? As a young pastor, Richard Davidson was startled to find psalms in which David welcomed, even celebrated, the coming judgment, while he himself shuddered at the thought of his name coming up before God. In this deeply personal Theology feature, first published in 1988, Davidson traces his journey from years of preaching sermons “full of Christ, yet devoid of
Our Prophetic Heritage By Alberto Timm
Was the Advent movement just another religious experiment born in the ferment of nineteenth-century America, or something more? In this Experiences article, Alberto R. Timm traces the prophetic roots of Adventism back past William Miller to the evangelical scholars whose work Miller built on. Along the way he looks at a principle that once seemed settled: that in symbolic prophecy, a day stands fo
Chosen on Purpose by Cindy Tutsch
In December 1844, five grieving women knelt in prayer in Portland, Maine. Among them was a 17-year-old girl weighing barely 80 pounds, too ill to finish school, her voice little more than a whisper. Why would God choose her, of all people, when capable, educated men stood ready? In this Sabbath School Reflection, Cindy Tutsch traces a surprising pattern through Scripture, from a flawed Abraham to
Hope Channel's VP Wanted to Make You an Atheist Mission to Convert People | unScripted EP38
Robbie Bergen grew up a staunch atheist in Brisbane, Australia, convinced that people of faith were foolish. Today he's vice president of Hope Channel. In this conversation with Shawn Boonstra, Robbie shares the three defining moments of 2001 that unraveled his certainty: a figure in a nightclub mirror, a roadside lightning storm and the thought "If there is a God, you're lost," and the morning of
Is Christianity a White Man's Religion | unScripted EP 37
Is Christianity a "white man's religion"? Is Adventism an American church? Dr. Jongimpi Papu, editor of Ministry magazine and Associate Ministerial Secretary at the General Conference, grew up in South Africa and says there's truth in the charge, and a lot of misrepresentation too. Shawn Boonstra and Dr. Papu discuss what missionaries carried along with the gospel: wool suits in tropical heat, hym
Is American Christianity a Business Now | unScripted EP 36
Shawn Boonstra grew up in a strict Dutch Calvinist church in Canada. Sikhu grew up in a young, busy Adventist church in Zimbabwe. Both moved to America, and both noticed how different church looks here. In this unScripted conversation, they compare notes on megachurches, church shopping, segregated congregations, the prosperity gospel, and whether church is starting to feel more like a show than w
A CIRCLE OF FORGIVENESS (September 18, 2026)
As Christ grows greater in our minds, we lose our need to be authorities over what others think and do.
The deepening awareness that we have been wrong more than we have been right—that we are only now approaching the starting point of faith—creates a gentle tolerance for those now camped where we once stopped, or mired in the stuff from which Christ freed us. We learn to smile at vehemence and vi
Nobody Warns Pastors About This Part of Ministry | unScripted Ep 35
What does a pastor actually do all week? Shawn Boonstra and Justin Kim, Adventist Review editors with about forty years of clergy life between them, pull back the veil for Pastor Appreciation Month. Shawn shares his early years: five churches, long highway drives, and a night in a baptistery with no budget for a motel. They talk about why pastors don't have magic bullets, what Ephesians 4 says the
BETTER THAN OUR BEST (September 11, 2026)
So you’ve lived a good life, a moral life, a life of treating others as you wish you would be treated. You pay your taxes when they’re due. You let the elderly go first. You rescue fledglings fallen from the nest. Your colleagues count on you for steady work. Your dog adores you.
Does all of this not matter when it comes to final reckonings? Is God not suitably impressed with upright choices we’ve
More than Modesty Rules—Beth Hill with Beth Thomas
What happens when the rules you were given for purity don't match the life you end up living? Beth Hill grew up inside purity culture's strict guidelines for dress, dating, and desire, and in this Lifestyle column she traces how those rules shaped her sense of self, her marriage, and even her faith in God. Some of it was good. Some of it, she came to realize, went further than Scripture ever did.
Fighting the Star Chamber by Shawn Boonstra
What does a 380-year-old fight over censorship have to do with the Seventh-day Adventist Church? In 1644, the poet John Milton published a furious defense of free speech — and Shawn Boonstra suggests it may have quietly helped set the stage for a movement that wouldn't emerge for another two centuries. From book burnings to Bible societies, this Perspectives column traces a trail of "coincidences"
They Call 1844 the Church's Biggest Cover-Up | unScripted EP 34
Did the Adventist Church invent the investigative judgment to cover for a failed prediction in 1844? Shawn Boonstra and Justin Kim open the September and October issues of Adventist Review and take on the heavenly sanctuary head-on. They ask why Jesus ascended, whether he entered the Most Holy Place at the ascension or in 1844, what Hebrews' two veils and one Greek word have to do with it, and why
Scripture Alone? by John Peckham
Drive in snow and overcorrect one way, and you'll end up in the ditch on the other side. Theologian John Peckham argues the same danger lurks around one of Christianity's most contested ideas: sola scriptura. Push too hard toward reading the Bible in total isolation, and you land in one ditch. Push too hard toward letting community or tradition control what Scripture means, and you land in the oth
OUR CONFIDENCE IN GRACE (September 04, 2026)
Between this moment and the final triumph of God’s love, there will be many moments when the outcome may appear in doubt.
Hard-edged, hard-hearted people flourish in a world chilled by greed. Deceit—in all its printed, spoken, filmed and digitized dimensions—settles like a toxic fog over what was once a landscape formed by trust. Unforgiveness grasps our culture by the throat, insisting that no wa
Adventist Preppers is it Faith or is it Fear | unScripted EP 33
Should Adventists be preppers? Shawn Boonstra and Justin Kim take on the culture of prepping, from bunkers and buried shipping containers to a bucket of freeze-dried strawberries on the studio table. Adventists at the ASI convention weigh in, and the hosts look at Joseph and the ant, Elijah and the ravens, and the rich fool in Luke 12. Where does wise stewardship end and fear begin? Is preparing a
THE UNSTOPPABLE RIPPLE (August 28, 2026)
And you thought grace was just for individuals.
When God’s mercy and affection are much-welcomed and deep-trusted, lasting impacts start to flow to all within the circle.
Grudges soften at the edges; ancient bitterness begins to fade. Forgiveness flourishes in crevices, even between those who never thought they could be anything but enemies. Gentle, subtle acts of kindness replicate themselves lik
Why God Shows Up Before the Missionaries Do | unScripted EP 27
3 billion people on Earth have never heard the name of Jesus — and most of them live in cities the Adventist Church has been quietly leaving for decades.
Gary Krause, Director of Adventist Mission at the General Conference, sat down with Shawn Boonstra to explain what's actually being done, where it's working, and the 4-word principle that changed how both of them think about mission.
Adventists Got Tobacco Right. We Missed This One. | unScripted EP 28
A minister who's raised his kids and an editor still in the trenches sit down over one question: what do you do when the most addictive thing your child will ever hold fits in their pocket? No easy answers — just honesty about the fear, the failures, and the grace that carries parents through.
Shawn Boonstra and Justin Kim talk screens, dopamine, the anxious generation, the "bubble" trap, and why
Their Outreach Starts With People Who Hate the Church | unScripted EP 29
Three churches. Three continents. One thing they all figured out that most Adventist congregations still haven't.
Shawn Boonstra opens the mission reports that reach the General Conference building — the ones most members never get to see. A district in the Scottish
Highlands that filled a Gospel Fest with people who'd never set foot in an Adventist church. A youth ministry in wartime Ukraine tha
What I Wish I'd Said Before My Friend Overdosed | unScripted EP 30
She once heard voices telling her she was about to hurt someone. Now she hosts one of Hope Channel's most-watched shows. This episode asks the question most Christian parents are afraid to say out loud: is it ever loving to let someone hit bottom?
30 Years in Marketing. Now He Says the Church Measures Wrong | unScripted EP 31
Years ago Shawn Boonstra signed the guest book at a church that wasn't his own, just to see what would happen. They called him back in 32 hours. Meanwhile, interest cards from his own television broadcast were sitting in a filing cabinet for three months.
Tim McTernan spent 30 years in marketing before he brought it into the church — supermarket brands, telecommunications, a million pieces of dir
Is Adventism a Cult | unScripted EP 32
Shawn joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church six weeks before Waco burned. Justin comes from a country whose own society files Adventism as an official cult. So they took the actual checklist — the warning signs people use to identify a cult — and ran the church through it, line by line, including the ones it doesn't pass.
Filmed at the General Conference world headquarters. No script, no talking
When Faith Gets Hard by Yeseul Kim
Imagine sitting in biology class, staring at a diagram presented as settled fact—when a quiet voice whispers, what if they're right? For one pastor's kid, keeping faith in a public school meant missing Homecoming, sitting out the band parade where scouts handed out scholarships, and wondering whether her beliefs were costing more than they gave. This is an honest account of doubt, sacrifice, and t
THE PRODIGAL ELDER BROTHER (August 21, 2026)
Of all the stories Jesus told, this one is our favorite.
An arrogant, entitled son demands his inheritance from his father, but wastes it in riotous living. When the money and the morals are lost, he remembers his father’s house, and begins the awkward journey home, offering to be a servant, not a son. But the father runs to meet him, sweeps him up in his arms, and completely reinstates him in the
Who Vindicates the Character of God by Jean Carlos Zukowski and Iracéli Cristiani Hubner Zukowski
Does God need a perfect generation of humans to prove His critics wrong? In 1947 one Adventist theologian argued exactly that—launching a debate that still divides believers today. If God's character is on trial before the universe, who actually clears His name? Us, through flawless obedience? Or someone else entirely? This piece digs into what Ellen White actually wrote, and the answer is bigger
The Giant White Hand by Dick Duerksen
Two red cars came screaming around a mountain curve at over 70 miles per hour—headed straight at Michelle and her friends, with a rock wall on one side and a hundred-foot drop to the river on the other. There was nowhere to go. "This is it," she told her friend. "We're gonna die." Then came a deafening snap, the smell of sulfur, and silence. When Michelle opened her eyes, the car that should have
CONSISTENT AND PERSISTENT (August 14, 2026)
Yes, we remember all too well.
The teacher whose volcanic mood made one day bright and hopeful while the next we hardly dared to draw a breath . . . The parent who turned what should have been our safest space into a house of vigilance, where anger flashed erratically . . . The colleague whom we tiptoed past, just praying we didn’t trouble him . . .
From all such stories, we deduced that God was j
THE GRIP OF GRACE (August, 07, 2026)
If grace was as fragile as many believe it to be, we could never be truly confident that our lives have been fully redeemed and deeply restored.
We would always be unsure of what God wants us to be most certain of: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far He removes our transgressions from us
Purpose in My Heart by Onyx Daquila
Imagine publishing a book at twelve years old—one that started with nothing more than nature walks and a mother's simple question: "Where do you see God in that tree?" In this piece, a teenager shares how she's read the entire Bible four times, why one word in the story of Daniel changed how she makes decisions, and what she's learned about choosing right when convenient is so much easier. She's h
Why I Believe by Arris Berghan
Why do you believe what you believe? Because your parents told you? Because you grew up in church? The author says that kind of faith can crumble when life gets hard—and he's after something sturdier. He loves true stories: prison escapes, wartime survival, missionaries in danger. What makes them powerful, he says, is that they can be checked. So can faith. He points to a prophecy Isaac Newton cal
IS IT TO GOOD TO BE TRUE? (July 31, 2026)
If you are truly saved through faith, then you are daily praying grace down into the cracks and crevices of life, into the dim and unlit corners where fear and fate and faithlessness more often hold the keys.
Understanding—really understanding—grace rarely happens through a flash of intellectual enlightenment: Paul’s own Damascus Road was just the first of many miles spent learning grace.
Each wee
Adventist and Buddhists by By Paul Dybdahl and Scott Griswold
It started with a nervous breakfast: a Seventh-day Adventist pastor across the table from an ordained Buddhist minister, both unsure what to expect. Then she explained what she does before eating—a silent thanks to everyone who made the meal possible, from the farmers to the bacteria in the soil—and the awkwardness melted away. There are 500 million Buddhists in the world. How much do we really kn
GRACE AND CHANGE (July 24, 2026)
“If God is good and grace is real, why do I still feel badly about my mistakes?”
A popular illusion of new Christians is that the rescue wrought for them by Jesus is supposed to save them from any sorrow about their past. In the shallow mythology we clutch, everything about our new life as believers ought to be “peace, light, and joy.”
Yet God’s Word poignantly asks, “Do you not know that God’s ki
Is Sola Scriptura Self Defeating by John Peckham
Picture a World Cup final with no referee — both teams disqualifying each other's players, every goal disputed, chaos taking over. Someone has to make the final call. But who decides the meaning of Scripture? It's a question that cuts to the heart of one of Protestantism's oldest principles: sola scriptura. And the objections are sharper than you might expect. If Scripture never actually says "Scr
UNFORGIVEN? (July 17, 2026)
“Because he’s never said he’s sorry”. . . “She kept the ring my grandma wanted me to have” . . . “He laughed at how I cringed at his cheap insult.”
All these—and more—as reasons that we can’t—or won’t—forgive. We acidly rehearse the story of our injury, deepening divides and festering in feuds. Soon we come to like the bitter taste of bile, for anger feels powerful, and power is what we want.
But
THE LEARNING CURVE (July 10, 2026)
The old proverb reminds us, “Some things must be seen to be believed.”
And so it often is with grace: we can’t believe in something so miraculous—so unexpected, undeserved—even though God’s Word repeatedly declares it: “By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph 2;8).
Until we see grace in the flesh—in someone near enough to care—we wond
Ordinary Man. Extraordinary Heart by John Wesley Taylor
When you picture someone who changes the world, who comes to mind? A CEO? An influencer with millions of followers? But what if the most lasting impact rarely happens on center stage at all? Meet Andrew—a fisherman so ordinary his name simply meant "man." No famous sermons. No epistles. No miracles bearing his name. He didn't even make Jesus' inner circle. Yet today five nations claim him, and the
UNFORCED LOVE (July 03, 2026)
What makes us valuable to God—all stubborn, broken, wayward as we are?
It’s not the sometime good we do—
forgiving unrepentant foes;
feeding hungry kids afar;
warming pews and saying prayers;
performing unpaid mission work.
Not one of these, nor all of them, can make us dearer to the One who chooses from His unforced, unrequired love to cherish every soul He made. “I have loved you with an everlas
THE LOVE THAT HOLDS US ALWAYS (June 26, 2026)
“If you could go back in time to change one thing about your life, what would it be?”
The answers range from comic to cautionary: “I’d be better-looking.” “I’d have a smaller nose.” “I’d make a lot of money.” “I’d marry a different person.” For each of us, there’s one thing we would change to give ourselves a better story.
“I’d understand God’s love much sooner in my life,” say the truly wise amon
SUSTAINABILITY (June 19, 2026)
Breathe deeply now, and let your heart grow quiet as you turn from sins forgiven.
“By this we shall know that we are of the truth,
and reassure our hearts before Him whenever our hearts condemn us;
for God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything” (1 John 3:19-20).
It’s not the voice of God that drives you on to fear, or rush, or labor past your strength.
We dare not make the Spirit own
THE DAILINESS OF GRACE (June 12. 2026)
“We must hear the gospel every day because we forget the gospel every day.”
Attributed to many pens, the proverb is profoundly true, regardless of who wrote it. Even though it undermines our vanity of recall, it underlines that we frequently ignore the most important things. Our default thinking is unarguably a fault: we trust ourselves to do what is impossible.
For millennia, humans have sought
A Light in the Pearl of the Indian Ocean:
A Light in the Pearl of the Indian Ocean: The Faith and Courage of Rosie Le Même
One night, a young woman in Mauritius prayed — and her room filled with light. A voice told her to go to Europe. She went. What she found there would change not just her life, but an entire region.
Rosie Le Même never set out to start a movement. She simply wanted to follow God with her whole heart. But her quiet cour
Hidden Wounds: How Sexual Trauma Shapes Intimacy and Faith
Hidden Wounds: How Sexual Trauma Shapes Intimacy and Faith
She sat alone in a dark church parking lot, desperate to speak but unsure where to begin. Her marriage was loving — so why did she feel frozen, broken, and afraid?
Sexual trauma doesn't stay in the past. It follows survivors into their most intimate moments, distorting the very things God designed to be beautiful. In Hidden Wounds, registe
REDEEMING THE PAST (June 05, 2026)
What stops our progress, pulls us backward, paralyzing us with shame?
The past—our past—the foolish, broken history that trails each of us. None can escape its power: all feel its painful weight. Even those the world calls saints are men and women who know their brokenness most fully. The great apostle Paul famously moaned, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Ro
Faith to the Very End: Pastor Jack and His Final Witness
Faith to the Very End: Pastor Jack and His Final Witness
He was diagnosed with a rare cancer at 19. Doctors took the muscles from his leg, and he learned to walk — and live — all over again. But Pastor Jack wasn't done. For years he preached, pastored two congregations, and poured himself out for others. Then the cancer came back.
What happened in that emergency room on the last night of his life
Selfless Love by Keala Thompson
Selfless Love: How to Infuse Your Marriage With Divinity
Most of us enter marriage hoping to be loved well. But what if the real question isn't what can I get — it's what can I give?
In this thought-provoking article, Keala Thompson explores why so many marriages drift toward selfishness or cold transaction, and what it looks like when a relationship is anchored in something deeper. Drawing on Scr
FINDING CONFIDENCE AND STRENGTH (May 29, 2026)
Sit quietly with grace, and let it work its slow, substantial change.
Nothing is more common for those whose hearts have been divinely warmed than to pledge themselves to new, exacting duties. We’ll read our Bibles for an hour each day; pray for all our friends and even for some enemies; tell “unconverted” colleagues, neighbors—even strangers—of their task to do as we have done. We move at hyper-s
WHAT ONLY GRACE CAN DO (May 22, 2026)
“This is not your own doing” (Eph. 2:8).
One author calls it “the most contrary line in human history”—six words that run against our culture, schooling, and experience.
We push ourselves from bed to answer the alarm we set just hours before. We wash and eat and ready clothes for work, conscious that one slip in our performance may unravel all the day. We move ourselves to work to push through hou
Protesting the Church By Shane Anderson
What if a church leader you trusted made a serious mistake—how would you respond without causing division or gossip? In this timely, practical guide, veteran pastor Shane Anderson shares hard-won wisdom from decades of denominational service: the three common pitfalls to avoid (assumptions, social media, withholding tithe) and four Christlike steps that actually bring resolution. Learn how prayer,
ALL THE TIME (MAy 14, 2026)
What makes your eyes light up with glee, or stirs you to an unforced smile?
Is it the 4-year old who stomps through puddles—without boots? Is it the lily blooming on some sun-drenched bank, so hidden no one else can find it? Is it the ballad from your youth that fills your thoughts with gentle love?
So grace delights us when we learn that it is God’s first way of seeing us—that He is glad to see
Two Angels in a Boat by Dick Duerksen
What if two ordinary fishermen in a tiny boat appeared out of nowhere during a deadly Mozambique flood—only to vanish without a trace? Young pastor Simoque was drowning in the raging Limpopo River, praying desperately for his family, when strong hands pulled him to safety and carried him home through the storm. But when he rushed back with money to thank them… no boat, no footprints, no sign they
How to Protest the Church | unScripted EP 15
Frustrated with your church? Thinking about leaving?
You're not alone. Many Christians — especially in the Seventh-day Adventist community — are wrestling with that very question as their churches shift in directions they never expected.
But what if leaving is exactly the wrong move?
In Protesting the Church, the case is made that true Protestants don't walk out — they stay, speak up, and work for
Job's Wife By Claudio and Pamela Consuegra
What if the most heartbreaking grief in the book of Job wasn’t just Job’s—but his wife’s silent agony beside him? She lost everything too: ten children, security, and now watched her husband suffer in ashes. In one raw moment she cried out, “Curse God and die!”—words born not of rebellion, but overwhelming pain. Yet God never rebuked her. No condemnation, only merciful silence and later restoratio
Which Way?, The way of the Lamb versus the dragon’s way of power By John Peckham
What if true victory over evil comes not through raw power, but through the suffering of a Lamb? Jesus faced every temptation to “win” the easy way—by force, presumption, or compromise—yet chose the costly path of unselfish love instead. In Gethsemane He refused the sword; on the cross He conquered by dying. This powerful article reveals the stark contrast between the dragon’s way of dominat
THE LONG ARC OF GRACE (May 08, 2026)
If you can’t recall the day or the hour you came to faith, you’re in good company.
Millions of believers candidly describe both deep faith in Jesus as their Saviour and an inability to recall just when it happened—a “sunrise experience” as one author calls it.
This is the way that grace unfolds, for “Damascus Road” conversions are far fewer than we claim. That road, it should be noted, was 150 mil
unScripted EP 14 | From Saudi Arabia to Global Mission
What if a shattered childhood in secular Seattle, followed by an unwilling move to 120-degree Saudi Arabia, could forge one of the most mission-driven leaders in the Adventist Church today?
In this heartfelt episode, Shawn Boonstra sits down with General Conference Secretary Rick McEdward. From culture shock in a military compound, to a powerful call into ministry, to serving in the Middle East an
God and Money,What have tithe and offerings to do with my relationship with Jesus? by Gerald A. Klingbeil
What if returning just 10% of what God has already given you could transform your trust in Him—and fuel a global mission? Far from a burden or ancient ritual, biblical tithing reveals a God who owns everything yet invites us to test His faithfulness. This thoughtful exploration shows how the Adventist Church’s unique solidarity-based system supports pastors, teachers, missionaries, schools, and me
GRACE WATCHING OVER ME (May 01, 2026)
I sing because I'm happy; I sing because I'm free;
For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
The soprano’s voice soars above the swell of the orchestra, her eyes caught up to heaven. Every heart in the concert hall leans forward, drawn by an ache, a longing.
Why do such moments move us so deeply—in seasons of faith, or in our midnight struggles? Why does our hope cling more tightly
How Quiet Faith Wins | unScripted EP 13
What if your faith story feels too ordinary for God to use?
In this raw, unfiltered episode of unScripted, Shawn Boonstra sits down with assistant editor Hannah Drewieck to talk about staying connected to your world church — and why the quiet, everyday faith might actually be the most powerful kind.
Hannah shares her surprising journey from Hope Channel International to Adventist Review, how she s
FREEDOM TO BE HEALED (April 24, 2026)
It seems, at first, a profoundly foolish question: “Do you want to be healed?”
Jesus once asked it of a paralyzed man who for 38 years had lingered beside a legendary pool.
The answer feels self-evident: who wouldn’t instantly reach out for healing, for wholeness, for a mended body and the restoration of fractured relationships?
But Jesus knows how tenderly we caress our wounds; how suffering weav
unScripted EP 10 | Heaven's Riskiest Adoption
What if God’s radical love turns messy, broken lives into cherished members of His family?
In this engaging episode, Shawn Boonstra and Siku Dako explore the powerful April issue of Adventist Review, centered on the theme of adoption. Discover how one family’s real-life adoption story reveals breathtaking truths about God’s costly, inconvenient love for us—while we were still sinners.
They also un
unScripted ep 12 | GC Date Got Changed?
What if your faithful tithes and offerings are quietly fueling a massive global push to finish God's work? In this special edition of Unscripted, recorded live from Spring Meeting at the General Conference, Shawn Boonstra and Justin Kim break down the latest financial reports with surprising transparency and hope. Discover how the church is staying fiscally responsible amid global uncertainty, exc
HELP MY UNBELIEF (April 17, 2026)
So you don’t have perfect faith. There are moments—even hours or days—when trusting God’s continued goodness seems beyond your reach. You wonder if the effort of this life of trust is wise—or yields anything.
Join the crowd—the great, blood-washed crowd of those who say they follow Jesus. Unlike the spiritually intimidating stories we often tell each other, there are no sturdy souls who never know
How the Bible Affects Money — Alistair Huong
What if the way you handle money revealed the true condition of your heart and faith? This insightful article lays out 10 powerful, timeless biblical principles that transform how Seventh-day Adventists view finances—from recognizing God as the true Owner of everything, to living as faithful stewards who multiply resources for His mission. Discover why tithing is only the starting point, how to av
She Opened the Way to Christ
What if one courageous woman, stepping off a ship in 1895 with nothing but faith and a trunk, could spark an entire mission movement across India? Georgia Burrus arrived alone in Calcutta—no station, no salary, no guarantees—yet quietly entered zenanas, taught Bible stories, and opened hearts. From her humble school came India’s first Adventist converts: a suffering widow and a brave child widow w
More Than Interpretation
What if the key to vibrant Deaf ministry isn’t just skilled interpreters—but genuine partnership? When hearing and Deaf Adventists team up beyond translation, something powerful happens: walls crumble, gifts flourish, and the gospel reaches hearts in fresh ways. From a hesitant teen interpreter mentored by a Deaf believer, to a small church where members learned basic signs to welcome visitors, th
Adopted by Love
What if one risky decision to open your home could forever change two families—yours and a child’s? When a couple welcomed a troubled Ukrainian girl for Christmas, they never imagined the chalk heart she’d draw with their names, declaring them “сім’я”—family. What began as compassion led to costly adoption, deep healing, and a profound glimpse into God’s heart. Through laughter, tears, and transfo
How Superstitions Are Ruining Spirituality | EP 8 unScripted
This week on unScripted from the Adventist Review, we dive into the March edition and uncover some eye-opening truths!
We explore how superstition can quietly creep into Christian (and Adventist) life—morning devotion guilt, fear-based rituals, not putting anything on the Bible, and more. Seth Pierce’s powerful article challenges us: Is our faith rooted in Scripture or mixed with magical thinking?
unScripted EP 9 | Church Dropout Crisis
Join Shawn Boonstra and Justin Kim in unScripted EP 9 for raw talks on SDA life from the March Adventist Review. Tackle the hot debate on Ellen White's city vs. country counsel in our urban world – is it time to step up outreach? Face the facts on marijuana and vaping: are they harmless highs or faith-killers? Plus, Shane Anderson's 7 raw reasons people skip church, with real tips to connect and k
A MELODY FOR THE UNCHAINED (April 10, 2026)
Is grace, at heart, believable?
‘Of course,’ you say. Why not believe? It’s the noun that always follows “Amazing,” the tune the bagpipers skirl at dawn; the soaring hymn a tenor lifts into a vast cathedral.
For some, it may be what the sermon is about, or what we learned in Bible class.
But is grace believable at the baseline of our fears—in those tough places in the soul where shame and memory c
THE MORNING DOUBTS DISAPPEAR (April 03, 2026)
“What if?” the soldiers wondered, as they watched His body sag. “A miracle man with a brazen claim—could He really rise again?”
“What if?” the wise ones wondered, with a nagging, dull unease. “Could disciples come in the dead of night and spirit His body away?”
“What if?” the governor worried, as he doubled the guarding troops. “Is there truly a power in heaven or hell that would dare to break my
THE JOURNEY OF A WEEK (March 27, 2026)
We walk the Passion story slowly, knowing it will seem to end as far too many stories end—with pain, with shame, with lonely death.
The palm fronds we waved wildly on Sunday were woven into simple brooms that swept up 30 tarnished silver pieces; in ropes that tied Messiah to the blood-stained lashing post on Friday. All things trudge slowly toward His end, as if no other fate could be.
Of Himself,
NOTHING IN MY HAND I BRING (March 20, 2026)
Ever long for the bad old days when you could at least depend upon yourself?
We tire of grace when we’re tempted by the easy arrogance of effort. “If I just say another prayer; read another Bible verse; light another candle—then I can pull the love of God toward me and close up any distance.” We think to work our way back toward His will with scrupulous self-discipline—with vegetables, and fasting
A WORLD WITHOUT HATE (March 13, 2026)
The great illusion of our age is that the world must be divisible into clans and races and nations who inevitably hate each other. The histories of some countries—and entire political careers—have been built on this dangerous idea.
Left versus right; rich opposed to poor; theists against atheists; the educated despising the illiterate. Trillions of dollars, euros, yen and rubles have been invest
Ep 6 unScripted—Daniel 3's Fiery lists
Welcome to Episode 6 of unScripted — live real talk on what's happening in the Seventh-day Adventist Church right now. Shawn Boonstra and Justin Kim unpack the latest Adventist Review, Bible truths, and jaw-dropping mission stories.
This episode covers:
New March 2026 Adventist Review spotlight: Superstition cover story + Justin's editorial "etcetera" on Daniel 3—why the Bible's repetitive lists p
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