Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church

By: Pastor Doug Batchelor When Karen and I decide that it’s time to get away and pursue some much-needed R & R, we often head for the enchanting big island of Hawaii.   Our friends Steve and Chris, who live near Kona, always open their beautiful home to us on such occasions. Steve is a building contractor by trade, but his real passion is for fishing. He owns a little fishing boat and is always happy for an excuse to use it. Though I am a fish-free vegetarian, I do love the sun and water and have often joined Steve and his brother, Joe, while they pursue their favorite diversion. As a result of numerous fishing excursions on the ocean with Steve and his friends, I have come to better understand why Jesus said that if we follow Him, He would make us fishers of men. Here are a few similarities I have noticed between fishing and soul winning. Fishing can be an addiction -- No matter how busy Steve is with multiple building projects and overdue deadlines, he always drop...

Written by:   Pastor Jëan Ross Central to the first angel’s message of Revelation 14:7 is a call to worship God as Creator. The fact that we are created by God and in His image gives value and purpose to life. We are not the result of random chemical reactions or biological mishaps, but are sons and daughters of the Creator of the Universe. Romans 1:20 points out that creation reveals to us the love and power of God in the things that are made. Consider for a moment the marvelous design of the ear muscles of the bat.  It is well-known that bats fly by sonar. They emit high frequency sounds which the human ear cannot hear. The returning echo of those sounds places "sound-print" pictures in their minds. Using this technique, a bat can catch a tiny, fast flying insect. The higher the pitch, the smaller the surface its echo can reveal. Some sounds are so high that they can enable the little bat to detect the presence of a wire no thicker than ...

By: Pastor Doug Batchelor An Amazing fact!  A brooch purchased for $14 at a Bristol, Rhode Island antique shop has turned out to contain a priceless purple pearl.  Alan Golash, a Newport antiques dealer, claims the value of the rare pearl is supported by gem experts who examined it.  His partner found the 19th century ornamental pin while rummaging through a basket of costume jewelry at a former antiques shop.  Golash, who restores antique jewelry, cleaned the brooch, and discovered it was made of 18-karat gold and enamel and included three small rose-cut diamonds. Based on its construction and Victorian styling, it is believed to have been created sometime between 1850 and 1875. But most notably, the brooch features two rare pearls, both of which gem experts say are all natural, purple and produced from a type of clam known as Quahogs –which are extraordinarily rare. The larger of the two pearls is about the size of a marble. "We've never had a pearl like this befo...