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The Woman at the Well

The Samaritan woman at the well.

10/02/2026

By Dr. Paul A. Scavella

In the fourth chapter of John, we encounter one of the most unexpected influencers in Biblical history:

The Samaritan woman at the well. By societal standards, she was an outcast—a woman burdened by a reputation of five failed marriages, living with a man who was not her husband, and reduced to drawing water at the hottest time of the day to avoid the gazes and whispers of her community. Yet, after a transformative encounter with Jesus, this very woman went running back to the exact town that had marginalized her. She didn't approach them with a polished sermon or a theological defense; she simply shared an undeniable, raw truth: "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did." Her vulnerability stripped away the walls of rumor and contempt, replacing them with a narrative so captivating that the entire town marched out to meet the Savior for themselves.

How was "the town's girl"—someone with zero social standing or authority—able to mobilize an entire community? Her power lay in the radical contrast between her past and her present. People knew her story; they knew her shame and her habitual secrecy. When she suddenly walked into the city square with complete transparency, speaking openly about the very past she used to hide, it created an irresistible cognitive dissonance. Authentic life- change is a language everyone understands. She didn't claim to be a prophet; she simply became a reliable witness to her own rescue. Her story proves that influence isn't built on flawless prestige or pristine reputations, but on the courage to be transparent about how grace meets us in our lowest places.

How’s your influence today? 

Dr. Paul A. Scavella

Leadership Consultant & Theologian

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The Heart of Adventism Part 5

The Heart of Adventism Part 5 - Who We Are Today: The Remnant Called to Stand.

09/18/2026

By Dr. Paul A. Scavella

How do I define a Seventh-day Adventist today?

We are not a "high-vibrancy lifestyle group." We are the Remnant Church of Bible Prophecy (Revelation 12:17). We are a sanctuary people, called out of darkness into His marvelous light to proclaim the final warning message to a world on the brink of destruction.

To be an Adventist today means to stand fast in the faith of our fathers. It means to hold the Bible high as our absolute, unchanging guide. It means loving Jesus so deeply that we joyfully align our diets, our entertainment, our dress, and our speech with His holy standards.

Let us break the silence. Let us return to the Word of God. Let us stand as a distinctive, holy, and peculiar people—not in prideful legalism, but in humble, loving, and uncompromising obedience to the One who is coming very soon.

Stand fast in the Lord!

Dr. Paul A. Scavella

Leadership Consultant & Theologian

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The Heart of Adventism Part 4

The Heart of Adventism Part 4 - Addressing the "Strange Silence" on Fundamental Belief #22

09/04/2026

By Dr. Paul A. Scavella

Our 28 Fundamental Beliefs do not condone the wearing of jewelry or assimilation into worldly fashions. Fundamental Belief #22: Christian Behavior explicitly states the following:

"We are called to be godly people who think, feel, and act in harmony with biblical principles in all aspects of personal and social life ... It means that our amusement and entertainment should meet the highest standards of Christian taste and beauty ... It also means that because our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, we are to care for them intelligently ... Along with adequate exercise and rest, we are to adopt the most healthful diet possible ... [and] we are to dress with simplicity, modesty, and neatness, true beauty consisting not in outward adornment but in the imperishable ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit."

Yet, there is an undeniable silence on this subject today. In many of our congregations, these standards are absent from public expression, and in practice, a culture of "if it feels good, do it; if it's offensive, leave it out" has quietly taken root.

Why are leaders silent?

• Fear of Offending: We live in a consumer-driven church culture where we fear that preaching high standards will drive people away.
• The Drift Toward Assimilation: We want to look like, sound like, and be accepted by the evangelical world around us. We do not want to be seen as "peculiar" or "legalistic."

But scripture warns us: "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4).

When we remain silent, we do not show love; we show pastoral neglect. By failing to teach the beauty of Christian simplicity, we leave our young people to be discipled by the vanity, materialism, and hyper-sexualized standards of social media and modern culture.

Dr. Paul A. Scavella

Leadership Consultant & Theologian

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The Heart of Adventism Part 3

The Heart of Adventism Part 3 - The Sanctuary Standard: Is Jewelry Ever Wrong?

08/21/2026

By Dr. Paul A. Scavella

Let us address the elephant in the pew, a topic on which there is a strange, deafening silence from many church leaders today: the issue of jewelry and personal adornment.

As a church that holds the Bible as our only rule of faith and practice, what is our position? More importantly, what is God's position? Is jewelry "wrong ever" as far as God is concerned?

To understand this, we must look at the biblical pattern. Throughout Scripture, outward adornment is consistently tied to spiritual conditions. When God called His people into deep covenant relationship, repentance, and preparation to meet Him, He consistently asked them to strip themselves of their ornaments.

• In Genesis 35:2-4, when Jacob was leading his family back to Bethel to build an altar to God, he commanded them; "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments." What did they give him? They gave him their foreign gods and their earrings, and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree.
• In Exodus 33:5-6, following the apostasy of the golden calf, the Lord commanded Moses, "Say to the children of Israel... 'Now therefore, take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you.' So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb."

Why did God ask this? Because outward pride is an index of the inward heart.

In the New Testament, the apostolic counsel is equally clear and uncompromising. The Apostle Peter wrote, "Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is  very precious in the sight of God." (1 Peter 3:3-4)

The Apostle Paul echoes this in 1 Timothy 2:9-10, calling for women — and by extension, all believers — to adorn themselves "in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for [those] professing godliness, with good works."

So, is jewelry wrong? Yes. As far as God is concerned, pride of appearance, self-display, and the use of jewelry for self-exaltation are spiritual hazards. They divert attention from the Savior, feed the carnal ego, and violate the principles of Christian simplicity and stewardship. The resources we spend on prideful, unnecessary adornment are resources withheld from the proclamation of the Three Angels' Messages to a dying world.

Dr. Paul A. Scavella

Leadership Consultant & Theologian