Activity at the home office is still intense, even though there are more and more empty offices as ministers and employees begin traveling to different places around the world for the Feast. Bev and I are looking forward to keeping the Feast with our family, which includes four grandchildren.

We are concerned about Hurricane Matthew's force and trajectory as I write this Thursday, about noon. Rick Shabi is cancelling services in Jacksonville, Florida, and will be evacuating tomorrow. Chuck Zimmerman has cancelled services in Vero Beach. Pray for the safety of our brethren as the storm heads north out of the Caribbean to the mainland of the United States.

Earlier this week, we finished the introductory message for the opening night of the Feast which will feature scripture readings from children and a welcome message from me.

Also, this week, our Ministerial Education team finalized the Pastoral Development Program that will run from November 7-16 here at the home office. Twelve couples will be coming for an robust period of training during that time. We also laid out the subject matter for the next round of Regional Conferences, starting with the Southeast region in January. Alongside the conference for elders, which will be on Monday and Tuesday, we will have a special day seminar for church leaders on Sunday, the day before. We will talk about practical engagement techniques to involve the congregations more actively in the "Preach the Gospel into all the world" aspect of our mission. The following conference for elders will also be about this, and also about the development of manpower to continue pastoral care for our congregations.

Telling the world about the Feast

One Feast-related public item that you may have seen already is our 2016 press release about the Feast of Tabernacles. It can be accessed online at: http://bit.ly/2dKUv3z and you are welcome to re-post it on social media. It has already appeared on more than 100 news-related Web properties, and the headline "United Church of God (ucg.org) to celebrate coming Kingdom of God Oct. 17-24." It was distributed on three different media Twitter networks, marked with the hashtags #ucgfot and #christian to make it easy to find online. While we also are directly distributing the release to area media where the Feast is being observed, the online version is permanent and searchable in both domestic and international media. Its language is voiced toward people who have little or biblical background, to the depth we do. This effort folds in well with our other media outreach.

Awesome Days!

As I write, we are in the midst of a very special period of time between the Feast of Trumpets and Day of Atonement known to the Jews as the "Ten Days of Repentance" or the "Days of Awe." In Jewish culture this is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and to individually repent before fasting on the Day of Atonement. In the scriptures, the Day of Atonement represents a time of reconciliation with God.

As we approach the Day of Atonement, let's personally make them "Awesome" by lovingly and humbly reconciling ourselves with our brothers and with God during this time!

Here's an interesting view: during this time, many Jews are also encouraged to seek reconciliation with people who they may have wronged during the course of the year. To atone for sins against another person, they are encouraged to seek out and be reconciled with that person. Reconciliation includes offering amends, and, where possible, righting the wrongs that were committed against them. It is a thought-provoking perspective.

Of course, we do not observe added formal traditions in connection with our Christian conduct on the Holy Days. However, as we prepare for Atonement, the spiritual themes of self-examination and reconciliation fit well. Being in a continuous attitude of positive repentance is never a bad idea. And preparing for the Day of Atonement represents a time of year when we can also focus on conducting a spiritual inventory to see where we stand.

The Bible specifically instructs us to conduct a period of self-examination in the first Holy Day season as we prepare for the Passover. As ministers, we practice this in our own lives and we speak clearly and boldly from the books of Corinthians about being mentally and spiritually prepared. We must have the right attitude of humility before taking the symbols of Christ's death, which is for the forgiveness of our sins and making right where we have been wrong.

Note two passages that are oft-quoted during that time:

"So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup" (1 Corinthians 11:27-28, New Living Translation).

"Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith" (2 Corinthians 13:5, NLT).

As a spiritual church, we seek and long for unity and peace. But, I also know that it's simply a matter of time before some issue arises--big or small--and some level of conflict ensues. That's inevitable. We are still human. But, that's where God and Jesus give us a unique opportunity: how we manage that conflict determines the healthy outcomes and the healthy environment we need. When we're spiritually healthy, conflict is generally short-lived.

With that as a backdrop, why not use this time, the time the Jews call the "Days of Awe," to individually review where we might have fallen short in our relationships in past months? Let's positively and humbly consider what conflicts we may have become involved in, whether knowingly or inadvertently. As you all know, unresolved conflict can result in some level of disunity and saps our strength. As we read in Hebrews, we are told to "encourage one another daily" (Hebrews 3:13). Let us positively and honestly examine ourselves for how we can do better than we have.

The Bible names peacemakers as a specially blessed state. Jesus is emphatic that if we know of unresolved conflict with a spiritual brother, we are to make resolution a priority (Matthew 5:23-24). Fulfilling that is part of learning how to love one another, a key defining sign of a true Christian (John 13:35).

So while we're in this time before Atonement, let's think about this. A good starting point is at the very beginning of Jesus Christ's ministry: "Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel'" (Mark 1:14-15, emphasis added). Christ's keynote message? A commanding announcement about the Kingdom of God. To prepare, we must repent, which involves powerful personal change.

For Christians to inherit the Kingdom of God, it is absolutely necessary to have humble repentance, a positive and active willingness to change, to surrender and become more like God and our Elder Brother Jesus Christ.

So, as we approach the Day of Atonement, let's personally make them "Awesome" by lovingly and humbly reconciling ourselves with our brothers and with God during this time!

We wish you a wonderful Feast of Tabernacles. Use it as a time not only for the enjoyment it affords, but also for coming to a deeper understanding of our relationships with God and purpose for living.

Remember those who will not be able to go to the Feast because of health or other reasons. Let them know you're thinking of them.