and Life is beautiful! ... Praise the Lord!

Today was a beautiful day in every way!!

Thanking God for His blessings and for 27 years of life!

Jesus is Coming Soon!

Happy New Year, on the second to last day of the month!

Praying that this year 2016 will be like one we have never had before. Oh, how my heart longs and aches to share Jesus with as many people as I can this year. I don't want anything to get in the way of doing every thing I can to be a witness for Jesus.

Some ministry goals that I have for this year:

1. Start a Bible study group/ARME group
2. Scripture memorization.
3. Spread 30-40 GLOW tracts a week (a powerful witnessing tool!)
4. Give Bible studies to two to three people. (by God's grace)

This year...I want to record my progress on this Blog. I in no way want to make this, or my spiritual walk something of works. However, I do believe Jesus wants to join Him as co laborers in spreading the three angels' messages to the world!


Jesus is Coming Soon!

Deployed by the Holy Spirit - Jesus is Coming Soon!

Hello to all!

I am still trying to work on blogging on here more often. Life is full, and there are many things to share with you all here!

My main burden I feel on my heart today is the urgency of Jesus' Second Coming. Yes, our jobs and careers are important. The day-to-day responsibilities that we have are also important. Let us not get so busy and caught up with the cares of this world and of life that we forget the ultimate goal of heart preparation for Heaven and sharing Jesus' with others.

Yesterday, I visited the Nashville First SDA church. I was very blessed and encouraged by Pastor Melvin Santos' message, "Deployed by the Holy Spirit"

Here is a paraphrase of some of things he shared and my thoughts and reflection about it:

God has given us the command to go and make disciples. Go and help other people. Are you willing to say,"Lord use me"? - The Holy Spirit will deploy you." -Pastor Santos.

This message called me to examine my own heart. Am I allowing the cares of this world to take away time from doing what I need to do to prepare myself and others for Jesus' Second Coming? Is there something that I keep delaying to do? Please let's not allow circumstances and time to get in the way of finishing the work and preparing for Jesus' Second Coming. Time is running out! God is calling people to enlist in His service!

Application: This is how I want to daily apply this message in my own life and in preparing for Jesus' Second Coming.

1. Share GLOW tracts with others. Spreading the messages of truth through literature with others.
Goal: Share 25-40 tracts a week in gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and parks. Make a special effort to spread several in parks near the churches that I attend.

2. Give Bible studies!
I am a certified Bible worker and there is no greater joy then giving Bible studies to others! I need to strategize on getting Bible study leads and finding those who are hungering for truth.

3. Become earnest in evangelistic efforts.
The Nashville First SDA church is having an evangelistic series Oct. 2-31. I am planning on attending and participating in the meetings.
Comprehensive urban evangelism is another passion of mine and for Nashville.
Goals: (a) Spread flyers in the Goodlettsville/Millersville/Madison area to promote the meetings.
          Bring a friend to the meetings.

          (b) Start a group in the Nashville metro area that focuses on comprehensive urban evangelism.

4. Start an ARME A-unit Bible study group.
This has been a dream of mine, especially for young adults in the greater Nashville area.
The Bible study would have a focus on preparing people for Jesus' Second Coming including Scripture memorization, and studying Bible prophecy or topics relevant to what is occurring in the world.
Goal: Invite 4-5 young people in the Nashville metro area to the Bible study meetings. Start the meetings in the beginning of November. Use ARME A-unit materials for the Bible study. Focus on Scripture memorization.

I am going to share weekly updates with you, it will be a part of my own accountability.

Oh, please give me a heart dear Jesus to share you with others. May we be ready for your Second Coming and Kingdom!

Believing is Seeing!

http://new.livestream.com/accounts/58396/events/3752575/videos/74824110

I want share the recording from yesterday's service at Madison Campus. It really brought courage to my heart. Everything the minister said, was exactly what I needed to hear.

Madison

Happy Sabbath to all!

A little over a year ago, I completed a Master of Social Work degree.  I moved to the greater Nashville area. I loved visiting the churches in the Nashville metro area.

One of the first churches that I visited was the Madison Campus church. Madison, TN has a very special story to our church, because the beginning of the Adventist work in the South started there. I'll write more about that later in a blog post.

I was impressed on my first visit, the lady sitting next to me made sure that I felt welcomed and invited me to join her at her Sabbath school.  The church has hundreds of members, and I honestly wondered if I would connect well with the members. Every time I have visited this church, the members have made me feel so loved and welcomed.

In a couple of the Sabbath school classes I have visited, the main leaders of the class made sure to welcome me and get to know me personally after the class ended. One of them gave me a welcome gift bag! 

I am also so thankful for the leadership of Pastor Byron Corbett at Madison. He has brought a vision for evangelism projects in the Madison and Nashville metro communities. He preaches on Rock Solid TV that reaches thousands of people in the middle TN area every Sunday morning on Fox 17 news. There was also a Relevant Seminar prophecy seminar series held this last Fall at the church. (I will share more details about this.)

I love the Madison Campus church because every time I visit, God's love is shown me me. I am spiritually uplifted, and the pastor gives biblically based and relevant messages. It has also been nice to get acquainted with people that I attended Southern with, and that I did not know personally while we were in school together. There are several people in my age group that are now living in Nashville.

There is another church in Nashville, that has been a real blessing to me. I will share more about it and how it reach the community with the Three Angels' Messages in a blog post soon.

Happy New Year - 2015!

Happy New Year to all!

I wrote a post back in July that I was going to start blogging again weekly. I'm sorry that I have not been able to do that and have been busy these last several months.

I really miss my academy years when my brothers, Joelle, Tim, and I would write weekly blogs and keep up with each other on it. There were other friends on here that I also enjoyed connecting with!

I'm determined to start up on the trend again in this year, 2015.

If there is any one else out there in the blogging world that would like to be my blogging pal, feel free to let me know. I thoroughly enjoy writing, and also enjoy dialoging with others about various issues and things that currently affect our lives.

It seems that everyone has switched to social networking with each other on Facebook. Facebook has a lot good. I do feel that there are lot of things that you can share on Blogger, that you can not share as well on Facebook. Facebook is more of brief "status updates", but is also great for staying connected with hundreds of friends that you don't see on a day to day basis, and keeping up with their lives.  I miss the art of sharing about things in my personal life through writing and blog posts that Facebook can not always share as well.

This last year I resolved to stay off Facebook, and limit my time on it to once a day. It was a blessing to have more time in the day, and to engage myself in learning about other things. I also broke a bad addiction, and was able to have a clearer mind to accomplish other things and have closer relationship with the Lord.

Personal goals for the new year (2015):

1. Spend more time in Scripture memorization; and personal ministry (i.e. urban evangelism, giving Bible studies, and passing GLOW tracts)

2. Exercise 3 times per week, and drink more water!

3. Obtain my LMSW.

4. Research as much as I can on comprehensive urban evangelism; (I have already started this)
   
     (a) Finish writing a Facebook blog post on comprehensive urban evangelism: and combining it with the medical work and Social work.
    (b) develop an urban evangelism model for a city in the Nashville area (with the help of professionals).

5. Pass out glow tracts in the Nashville area (including Gallatin, Hendersonville, and Goodlettsville), and reach the GYC Glow challenge.

6. Start giving Bible studies to 2-3 people in the year of 2015.

7. Paint the walls in my bedroom.

8.  Print all the pictures from my college years and place in the album Aunt Mary gave me as a graduation gift.

9. Print my college and graduate years pictures and place in album Joelle gave me as a graduation gift.

- I am going to keep a tract record weekly on this blog to see how I am achieving these goals.



I look forward to sharing weekly updates with you!

Blogging days are back!

Hi friends,

If you don't see as many updates from me on my Facebook, it's because I've decided to fast and not be on Facebook nearly as much as I usually am. I was convicted after hearing a sermon last weekend, that we spend too much of our free time on Facebook. It can be an addicting device, and I'm cutting out things that are taking away time from me having a deeper relationship with Jesus and God's Word. This last week I gave a fast from Facebook a try and found that I have so much more time. I will still be on Facebook moderately to stay in touch with everyone.

Here is the beginning of weekly updates... my blogging days are coming back!

10 year Tribute to my Dad

This past Monday, marked ten years since my father passed away. My mother and I were at his bedside when he passed away. Never had I experienced something like that. I felt and breathed my father's last breaths. I was thirteen, about to turn fourteen the month of his death. My high school years I tried to move forward with life, accepting that I was okay but never fully grieving what had happened to our family. During my first year of college, second semester I started grieving for him like never before. The reality that I had loss of a significant part of my life really hit me. Maturity also brought on the grieving process. God helped me to heal and work through the pain I was dealing with.

If you'd like to read a Father's day blog post from June 2010 of my childhood memories of my Dad
click here:

http://armcnulty.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html

On Monday, I called my Mom and we talked about our memories of dad. She shared with me many special things, some I never heard about before. Growing up I admired how my dad was godly and mission minded. Mom shared with me how he would witness to his family (they were non-Adventist), and took his mother to all of Kenneth Cox's evangelistic meetings in Bowling Green, Ky. That was a significant amount of driving from where we lived (about an hour away). At the end of the series she was convicted on the truth of the state of the dead and had a deeper appreciation for the Adventist message. His father and brother came to know the truth as well. He witnessed to his patients, and went the extra mile to visit them in their homes and minister to their social, physical, and spiritual needs. He always had  huge stack of paperback Spirit of prophecy books in the library. I remembered the times he went witnessing to a jail sharing the books. At the end of our conversation I told my Mom that because of the union of Mom and Dad's marriage, God blessed them! And he did, because the fruits of their marriage influenced their children to grow to love and share Jesus.

August 12, will always be a significant day for our family. For two reasons, the death of my father and second, the anniversary of my brother and sister-in-law, Norman and Joelle. They married in 2007. The day has a second beautiful meaning. Though our family lost a very important part of who we are, he gave us a beautiful gift and blessing of Norman's marriage to Joelle, and their two lovely daughters. We are blessed!!

I always want to remember the legacy my father lived of full commitment to God, sacrifice, and how he shared His faith with others unashamedly. My daily desire is to be ready for Jesus' return, so that I may see my father again one day soon!

Praying for Divine appointments

I want to share about a spiritual divine appointment that happened a couple of months ago. One of my best friends and I attended the university church and ran into a visitor. I was waiting for my friend in the lobby, a lady came up to me and asked what time the services started. I could tell that she was a non-Adventist. When my friend arrived to the church service, we sat by the lady. She thanked us for sitting me her and after the sermon we tried to engage her in spiritual topics, and sought a way to potentially meet with her again. It has been difficult to maintain consistent contact, yet it is heartwarming to see how she is searching for the truth through the Adventist church and attending functions within the community. This experience taught me how important it is to be mindful of the spiritual needs of those searching for truth. There is a mission field all around us, even within an heavily populated Adventist community!
This poses an important question for us, and personally for my daily walk. Am I praying for divine appointments to minister to people around me needing spiritual support or connection? Paul counsels us in Ephesians 6:18, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication of all saints." How often I have missed appointments to minister to the spiritual needs of those around me because of my ignorance. It could be as simple as leaving GLOW tracks on benches in stores or at the gas pump, or being mindful of opportunities to engage in spiritual conversations with strangers.

Last evening, I was watching ASI, with Justin Kim giving the evening message. He spoke about the story of Nicodemus, and how he was ashamed to have a public relationship with Jesus and would meet with him at midnight. He brought some interesting observations from the story, and applied it to us as Adventists. Are we ashamed to share our faith with others, talk about Him with others, or stand up for truth (for example, at a professional board meeting). We are living in the last days, and need to be bold as Adventists about sharing our faith with others if we expect Jesus to come soon.

This blog post is a challenge to myself, to prioritize my daily activities to reach out to the community around me, uplift Christ to others, and be mindful of and pray for divine appointments.

ARME Bible camp

          The highlight of the Spring season this year was when ARME Bible camp came to partner with GYC SE for revival meetings on campus! I appreciated their strong emphasis on prayer. The prayer sessions and meetings have been among some of the most powerful revival meetings we've had here at Southern. I've  never seen students so moved and on fire to surrender themselves fully to the Lord. I also appreciated the powerful messages given by Andre Waller and Ivor Myers. After the weekend meetings were over students have been continuing to have prayer sessions, and A-units have started on campus. A-units are small groups that meet to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, study the Bible, and plan outreach events. The leadership team of GYC SE want to move forward in spreading the work of ARME through starting more A-units on campus next school year. There are so many opportunities to reach out to the spiritual needs of students at Southern. I praise God for the prayer sessions held at ARME that brought revival to many of the students spiritual walks.
           The great controversy is happening now and what a precious time we as Seventh-day Adventists have to finish the work. I feel that too often many of us take for granted the beautiful messages given to us through the three angel's messages in the Bible and the Spirit of prophecy. We don't take the time to share truth with friends, co-workers, and strangers. Or it can even be something as practical as engaging in spiritual conversations with friends. We need to strengthen each other to finish the work. This week during one of my Bible studies I found this verse that could not more relevant to the burden I have felt on my heart for spiritual revival, "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Romans 8:6. My challenge to you is think about how you can engage your conversations Christ centered and point others to Him. It is so easy and enjoyable to talk about the daily matters of life, but how sad that we talk very little of the One who sustains us and who we live for. Also, pray for divine appointments. The spiritual needs of others are all around us. As we talk of Him, and pray for divine appointments God will open doors to reach out to more for Him. There are various other ministry and mission opportunities we can be apart of,  but these are some of most practical opportunities we can daily engage in.

Have a blessed Sabbath! - April McNulty :)

Here are some pictures from the weekend. Photo credit: Peter Chung.

Summer Update!

May 6, 2012 was one of the most special days of my life graduating with my Bachelor's from Southern Adventist University. So much was invested in my college education to make that day possible. It was almost unbelievable that I graduated! Here are some of my favorite pictures

Almost there... Graduation!

It's unbelievable

to think....

3 weeks  or (21 days)

till..

GRADUATION!!

A review of the Final Semester!

A review of the semester...

(1) Sabbath lunch with my ERC Colombia friends and Dr. Jacobs

(2) The third weekend of February was the busiest for me.

(a) First, organizing and hosting the Phi Alpha Honor Society (Social work) ceremony

Inductees

( b) then Doug Batchelor came to Southern to present "Not Very Far" A tremendous blessing!

The GYC SE team and I

(c) Great Controversy groups booth

(d) The last part of the weekend was Mother/Daugther banquet. It was special to have my Mom here!

Best friends

(5) In March, for a Social work class assignment we hosted "Social Work Month on the Promendade" It was fun and exciting to share the different avenues of Social work and how it impacts others to students.

(5) Senior Recognition Banquet (April 4, 2012) with my dear Norquis

(6) Enjoying a beautiful Sabbath afternoon with Michelle. After Pentecost2 meetings were over.

Thoughts on Valentine's Day

Today started out beautifully. I woke up to the aroma of strawberry muffins. My roommate, Liesse was so sweet and made some for my Heidi and I. A cheerful way to start the day. As the day
went I worked in one of the buildings on campus and a girl had just received a bouquet of flowers. I mingled with close friends at lunch. I could see out of the corner of my eye couples giggling and hugging each other. Today represented happiness and love. After lunch, I scurried to take my seat at Bel Canto and colors of red and pink, purple filled the room.

As I reflect on today, "God's love was shown through the students wherever I was". I know that God's love is immeasurable compared to any relationship or happiness or source of joy found here on earth. I'm incredibly thankful for my family, and my best and dearest girl friends who have supported me along the journey.


Happy Valentines's Day!

Why I love the Holidays

This holiday season has brought joy and blessings

Below are a couple of pictures of my family at Thanksgiving

My roommates and I have brought the holidays to our apartment with food and decorations

Happy Holidays to all!

My Grandma

(picture taken on my 22nd birthday, Summer 2011)

For those of you who have been keeping in touch with me, my Grandma has been declining the last month. She had an accident and ran her electric wheelchair into her bed and had to be admitted to the hospital for an infection. Ever since then she has become weaker and sleeps most of the day. She has been put on skilled nursing care. Three weeks ago things were getting really bad for her. I was unable to go home for midterm break but my Mom told me I really needed to visit her on that Sunday. My brother Aaron was super thoughtful and drove all the way day to take me home. That day was emotional yet very meaningful for me. I was able to spend the whole afternoon with her and tell her what she has meant to our family and her spiritual influence. She has been the matriarch of the Dittes/McNulty/Gates/Hankins families.

This has been very hard for me when I returned back to my apartment that night I cried myself to sleep. It's hard to imagine my dear Grandma not being here. She's always been here. Everyone has gone to her for counsel. Her home was place for us of all grandchildren to hang out. We could pop in any time. My best childhood memories were spent there. She's been such a godly influence. I know I would not be the person I am today because of the spiritual influence she had on my Mom, who influenced of all of us children. Grandma is 95 years old. I love her so much. I don't want to say goodbye. It's very difficult thinking of it. I ended up going home again last weekend. She showed signs of improvement and was so sweet. Last night the report is she is not doing well.

Please pray for her. My heart longs for the day when everything is perfect and we will all be together.

(picture taken Oct 29, 2011)

Phi Alpha and Fall weekend at home

So I really want to update my blog more often. Especially since it's my Senior year. So much is happening so fast. I'm feeling a little bit of Senioritis. At the same time I don't want to leave a place where the best years of my life has been spent. I have grown so much in every area of my life spiritually, socially, and academically.

This year has been unusually busy first because:

I'm finishing my BSW year (13 credits this semester)

200 hour practicum

(I'm in the midst of my internship working on completing all the competencies)

GYCSE Secretary: my roles include taking notes at our weekly. Also I am the Great Controversy groups Coordinator. This last month my friend Michelle and I recruited 5 people to be leaders. Cards are being passed around campus now. The five groups will be meeting weekly to discuss and study different chapters of the Great Controversy. This book is so important for the time we are living in. It is a apart of the GC initiative for revival and reformation. We want to have revival here at Southern.

Phi Alpha President: President of the Honor Society in the Social work department. Our mission is to be of service to others. We conduct two community service events a semester. We also encourage Social work majors to have academic achievement.

It has been super crazy busy for me this semester. Any free moment I have when not studying or doing internship is spent making sure things are getting done in Great Controversy groups or Phi Alpha. It's been a humbling experience. I know couldn't do it without the Lord's help. It's been an honor to work for Him in these ways. I love being a part of these activities.

This past weekend the Phi Alpha club went to an assisted living center in Chattanooga. We interacted and visited with the residents. It was so enriching to visit with them and hear share funny stories. Everyone laughed the whole time. I love working with the elderly.

Jane and I. She had quite the sense of humor and shouting out, "Hey you,... listen to me."

After I went to the assisted living center. I visited a Jewish synagogue with a friend for a World Religions assignment. It gained such a blessing hearing their music and participating in their worship service.

On Sabbath, I drove home to see my immediate family. My main concern has been my Grandma who has not been doing well. I want to thank everyone who has been praying for her. It has made a difference in her life and she is doing better! Please continue to pray for her.

Enjoyed seeing my brother Aaron and his girlfriend Cassandra

Net 2011 was held this past month only 40 min from my house in Madison, TN

It was exhilarating to hear the final sermon and to see the fruits from the meetings. Over 50 people are going to be baptized from their site. It has been broadcasted all over the world on the Hope Channel. I love evangelism and seeing souls won for Christ. My Mom and I were moved when the ones who made decisions for baptism stood in the front at the end of the service. I could see so much happiness written across their faces. Heaven was rejoicing!

Look forward to more updates! Much to share..

Midterm break

Spending time with family on midterm break was a real treat. Here is a pic from this past Sabbath. I love my family.

Move your Hand!

As I am writing it is the Sabbath afternoon. I have the time to contemplate and reflect on God's goodness to me, and listen to uplifiting music. I realize that I need to continue finishing writing about my favorite Colombian experiences.


The first weekend, on Sunday I preached "Move your Hand" sermon. This sermon was talked about how we can find the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, and we can receive salvation through four steps.

1. Accept
2. Believe
3. Confess our sins
4. Decide publicly for Jesus

This night I was going to be making an appeal for people to accept Jesus as their personal Saviour for the first time. Two minutes before I made the appeal a car driving in street stopped right in front of the Paraiso church. The music was blaring over the audience. I immediately thought and prayed, "Jesus be with us." I knew God was stronger than this big distraction. My voice got louder and stronger. I felt like I was shouting at the audience. When the appeal finished 8 people walked to the front to accept Jesus as their Savior for the first time. I know Heaven was rejoicing and the angels.


It was this night that a man, Raphael (pseudo name) started coming. He greeted me in English- and continued to come to the rest of the meetings. Every night I could see his heart hungry for the truth and he was excited to learn the truth. It was exicting for me to see how he was accepting the messages including the Sabbath message. He told me three nights before the campaign that he was going to be there till the end. It was really hard to say goodbye. It was hard to get to know and connect with all of my visitors because of the language barrier. This man touched my heart because his hunger for the Word was filled during the meetings. I continue to pray for him.


Next post is about an unlikely visitor who came to my campaign.

Share Him to Colombia

I can't tell you how happy and how changed my life has been since doing this trip to Colombia! We left as missionaries to share the Word of God with the residents, but we came back changed finding that Christ's Word still has so much power!

This will be my first blog of series sharing my favorite experiences or stories from the trip.

The first weekend that I started my series. I started not knowing what to expect. I had a meeting with the Paraiso church and talking about the organization of the meetings. My impression was this was going to be a great church to work with, small, yet potential. They shared with me how they had been working hard to invite people from the community to come to the meetings. I shared with them that I would be praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We looked through the list to make sure that I was prepped appropriately for the meeting. We looked through my presentation equipment. Not being a pro at it myself, we tried to communicate with each other how to use the Share Him presentation Synchronizer. After 10 minutes it finally appeared on the medium sized wall to the right of the stage. Relief was felt. I really enjoy meeting people for the first time. This experience was a little different. I couldn't communicate what I wanted to say in their language. It was very brief short sentences. I learned that night that anything that I really want to express to my friends would have to be interpreted through my translator. After we were all done setting up the equipment, and safely putting it away in my black case. The pastor took me in his car. I talked with my interpreter the whole way home. She walked with me inside and all the way to the sixth floor of San Jose Hotel. Oh, "we should really practice tomorrow around noon. I want us to be really prepared for the first meeting," I said to her. She agreed to come back to the hotel the next day. She never showed up. I got worried and wondered how our first meeting would go. I couldn't worry too much, because I had to practice and know my sermon well. The first night came. One of the girls, Andreas who would later become a good friend to me in the church said, "Are you the evangelist, you are so young!?" Yes, I could not believe it myself. I had imagined this day coming. But now here it really was.

The first sermon was frustrating. I got on stage, and realized that after explaining to the church the night before how to set up the equipment they had incorrectly set it up. The slides were three behind what I actually said. I thought, here are new visitors, church members, "What do they think of me." The only part of the presentation I could make a connection with the audience was when it should a 30 sec video of the image of Daniel, and I rehearsed it again. God still spoke through me that night even through technical difficulties. I talked with our group leader, and campaign manager they helped a lot with the situation. By Saturday night, we had the program running and synchronized perfectly with my notes! I was happy!

At the beginning of the series. God was teaching me patience and learning to depend on Him. I found that He still blessed even though my Powerpoint wasn't working correctly for the first two sermons. Our visitors still continued to come back because they were receiving spiritual meat from our sermons.