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When we fully understand that God uses everything in our lives (all thoughts, feelings, words and actions) to “work together for our good,” we can then realize that the sum of all we encounter is but to teach us to know that we need not to wonder if our daily lives are counting for Him in the way He desires. He is the Orchestrator and therefore in control of the finalities of all begotten of Him, in directing our lives through the administration of His work “in” and “for” us (Phil 2:13; Rom 8:28). Thus wherever we are, it is in His school of training, which will—without fail—always serve to progress us unto our next level of learning. In His omniscience, all has been taken into account, even the wrongs we will inadvertently choose, and has been preplanned to an inevitable single end—to continually “conform” us to the life of the Lord Jesus (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18). This does not address the redemption in which we are “irrevocably” planted (Rom 11:29), but increases our effectiveness in the possession of it! - NC “But One Thing Is Needful” “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things” (Luke10:41). The Lord’s words are very striking. Beloved friends, if you are busy about many things you will not only be busy, but troubled. Martha, we read, “was cumbered (distracted) with much serving”; and she was not only “encumbered,” but also “troubled”—it weighed upon her (vs 40—NC). If you have service that weighs you down, look to it; see well why it is. Plainly that very character would put you along with Martha there. “And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word” (vs 39). The Lord takes her up to signify His entire approbation as to where she was and what she was. He has a reproof for Martha’s service, but has only approbation for Mary’s simply sitting at His feet. “But one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (vs 42). Only “one thing.” To what a little point would that diminish all care (e.g. eliminate unnecessary concerns—NC) if we only recognize and bowed to the truth of the Lord’s words. There are a great many needs in the busy world; there are a great many duties that you have, and that Christians think they have to society, to their neighbors, and what not. The Lord here would bring our hearts from everything simply to one—to sit at His feet and hear His Word! Don’t you feel as if that would leave service out altogether? How is it possible that only a single thing is needful, and Mary had chosen that very part, when there are so many things to do? Are we to leave out service to the Lord? What does it mean? Beloved, this: That the thing which is to be our care is that we receive from the Lord Jesus. And if we are receiving, service and everything else will take care of itself. Mark, I do not mean that you won’t serve. You will. But I say this: that if your care is not for service (i.e. as a priority—NC), but to be receiving from Him, you will find that the “one thing” of which the Lord speaks embraces all the rest. What our Father wants from us is receptiveness (first, then service—NC). He wants in us the capacity to receive. “Come” and “drink”; and he that believeth on Me (faith being that receptive character in the soul), out of his inner being shall flow rivers of living water.” Mark what a beautiful thing—that out of the innermost of man’s nature (e.g. new nature—NC), the part that craves, the fullness flows. If rivers of living water flow out of you, this means both testimony and service, surely. It implies real ministry to others, and that God is to get His own from you in the world. But if this is to be true of you, what are the means by which it is to be accomplished? You are to come and drink; you are to come and receive as Mary did, and you will find in this “one thing needful” all other things are contained. Even amid a ruined world, paradise is returned again for him who takes this place at Jesus’ feet—this place of happy dependence to which there is no lack. You see, the fullness is His, it is not ours. People have the idea that grace in a man is a sort of thing that God puts as it were a seed into the soul, and it is to grow and grow, and develop there into more, so that he has consciously more and more. That is not it at all! Surely I do not mean to say that a man is not born of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, and that as so born he does not grow. Certainly he does; but that is another thing (grace admits in only one degree but understanding it deeper ever increases—NC). From the very beginning of growth this ought to be true of us. Beloved, the blessedness we speak of is to be found in that which God has already given to us, if we are Christians—that which the Apostle sets forth in Colossians 2:9 and 10 (the key of the epistle): “In Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are filled up in Him.” Now, if that is really so, you see your competence at once. God has given you place, your part, in Him already. And think, beloved, that in One in whom is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, in Him we are “filled up!” Faith has got to recognize this. Faith has got to make it all practical. Not to make the thing true—it is true—but we have to recognize it to find the proper truth of it. Alas, we are all Marthas, apt to be busy with much serving. And the last thing which we naturally think of is to come to the Lord to find satisfaction in Him alone. You think, “If He is such a glorious Person, He must be served. No, if He is such a glorious Person, would He come down from heaven to earth to be served by us? Was it not more adequate faith in Mary, saying, as it were, “If He had wanted service, He would not ask for it from such poor, incompetent hands as ours.” “The less is blessed of the better” (Heb 7:7). It is not more blessed to receive, but “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” And are we trying to serve the Lord Jesus? Take care we are not trying to be “the better,” and to make Him “the less” (of course inadvertently so—NC). Are we trying to serve Him, when He had to come from heaven to serve us? What is the secret, beloved ones, of all the dishonor done to Him (alas!) by His people? It is that they are not where Mary was—they are not in the place of real occupation with Himself. That is what the Lord wants. He has come all this weary way to attract our hearts to Himself. He wants us to receive out of His fullness—He want us simply to receive. Not to get us to say, after a little while, “I must be doing something now” (receive to do, not to do then receive—NC). He wants us to receive, receive and receive! If it is only receiving from Him, every other responsibility will be met easily—not by effort, but met of necessity. This will come after you own soul is fully satisfied; for the vessel must be filled itself before it can properly flow over. It is not from a vessel that is partly full that you expect an overflow. You must sit at His feet until you are filled yourself—that is the first thing. And when filled yourself, don’t think that you require effort then. As surly as you are filled yourself, out of your inner being shall flow “rivers of living water.” How slow are we to receive in its full reality the grace that requires not, but gives—that delights to give—that only seeks to have objects for it; the grace that, simply as we receive it, we find not only fullness for ourselves, but that which makes our lives full also for others. That “one thing” needful is occupation with Him—to sit at His feet and learn of Him. So then, if we want to serve Him, the only possible way is to receive from Him first until our hearts are so full that we cannot contain it any longer. The overflow is not measured by the capacity of the vessel, but by the power of the spring. Think of that! Think of our testimony in the world being the testimony of the divine fullness—not the measure of what we are, but the measure, so to speak, of what He is. The “one thing” needful for us is that our whole souls should be satisfied with Himself—and to be occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ is to be satisfied (In satisfaction there is absence of greed—NC). - F W Grant Excerpt from MJS devotional for August 10: The legal Christian considers the law to be his best friend who will enable him to live righteously. But in reality the law, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, is his beloved enemy. The Spirit’s purpose is to bring the well-meaning believer down into defeat, wretched and ready to realize, “I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord” (Rom. 7:25). - MJS “It is perhaps the most alarming symptom of decay to be seen amongst evangelical believers today, that so many have accepted (at any rate mentally) the fact that they cannot be justified before God except by the sacrifice for sin once made for all upon Calvary, proceed to build a new legal code by which to live, and seek to be sanctified by their own efforts and endeavors. – JCM www.abideabove.com/hungry-heart/

I will hope to meet the angels that have stood over me and suffered my follies as they have protected me. I will like to thank the angels that have saved my family from harm. I will like to meet the angel that "debated" me, or actually demanded I stop debating and make my decision, turning me about from my own rebellion against God to my salvation by Jesus through the specific call by the Holy Spirit. I will like to meet all the obedient Angels, that will be awesome. Just as awesome will be to meet my wife of 48 years, my grandfather and grandmother who prayed for me when I was so young and whose prayers God honored by bringing this reluctant saint to his own repentance. And, I guess as I think of it some, it will be so awesome to see all the saints more numerous than can be counted much like the sands of the oceans.

You got that right Yown! My grandparents, parents and brother are long deceased and I've had questions I wanted to ask them, that for now I'll never find out. But especially things I wanted to say in love and gratitude, but never got around to it, then it was too late. Seems like some of these questions I have today really didn't matter back when I was young, and only interested in myself. Now that I've gotten older, repented and following the Lord now; my priorities, thoughts and want to's have changed quite a bit. Solomon didn't say this but, the old adage of "you're going to miss me when I'm gone", is oh so true.

I haven't considered those great men and women whom I believe will surely be in heaven with the Lord. I keep thinking about that man that delivers lumber to my shop, who listened to the gospel. My atheist high school buddy who listens but hesitates. Several brothers and a sister, my dad, and many friends, and so many strangers that God brought my way, and the Spirit quickened me. Did the seed fall upon fertile soil, or did the birds take them away. Was my witness worthy? Will I see them, did they choose wisely? I look forward to see the fruit of light shared, and will tremble upon my face before my Savior. EDIT: *** Yes, thank you Abby for reminding me. I'm disappointed with myself for not thinking about that faithful old Baptist preacher at a funeral we went to who took the time to offer the gospel to those visitors. I don't even know his name, but I think I will know him, because of that first seed he planted. From that point on, the change in my wife and I, salvation, and later all our children, and grand kids, to those then that received the good news as a result, changed so many. The death of a little neighbor's boy, and the faithfulness of the funeral preacher, brought life to many, through Christ.

To be saved a person must believe Jesus.. His teachings.. And that person must trust the the atonement Jesus secured by His death on the cross secures for them forgiveness and eternal life in Gods perfect existence.. So Believing and Trusting Jesus is the Key to Eternal life.. There are two kinds of people in this world forgiven sinners and un-forgiven sinners.. Make sure you are one of the forgiven ones.. My experience of salvation is a complete change in my Point of View of life and this world.. Lacking trust that Jesus secured ones salvation is something that should greatly concern anyone who claims to believe Jesus.. Doubting the salvation Jesus secured is like saying that Jesus is a liar and a fake and what He went through the save us was pointless.. Our confidence should never be based on ourselves and how worthy or unworthy we feel about our salvation.. Our confidence should always be based on Jesus and His worthiness..

True salvation comes at the end of brokenness. Did you feel a sense of brokenness, hopelessness, an understanding of how you had wronged God and could do nothing to save yourself from that? Following that is the understanding of the suffering Christ went through for our sakes, when He certainly did not have to. This should lead to a desire to change one's life in a fundamental way. True salvation does not come from works, but it should certainly lead us to them.

All the "new creations" in Christ...gonna meet 'm all! ?

Aside from Jesus, who we'll meet when we're raptured... I have a huge list. One being apostle Paul, who (if I understand correctly) had eye defect, like I do. It probably wouldn't be just a one-day meeting. Other please take a number!

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gave-st me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:20-26

Thanks for sharing Fidei. It will be amazing to spend time with our Savior and Redeemer!

My mom used to tell me that I would miss her when she was gone, she was so right! At least we have hope that we will see them again.

What .you shared reminded me of a song with the words, "Thank you for giving to the Lord." We may never know the results of what we do, but we can keep sowing seed.

I am looking forward to meeting Jesus Christ in the flesh. Second would be The Apostle Paul. Third would be Martin Luther.

What a day that will be! I love the name I Am.He truly is all that we need.

Annette, you do ask the most thought provoking questions don't you ? 1 Corinthians 13:12 (KJV) For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. I take the above verse to mean; we will probably automatically know who everyone is in heaven? There's just so many people I one day want to meet, and a zillion questions I want to ask, I can't even narrow it down to just a few I don't think. It should go without saying that Jesus is the One whom I want to meet and be with forever first and foremost. I suppose deep inside I'd want to see my saved family and loved ones followed by dear friends and my church brothers and sisters in Christ. I'm counting on our tears being wiped away, whom could be happy with the memory of our beloved lost ones that didn't accept the Lord Jesus in this life, and their fate. Good thing we will have eternity, I personally will be keeping the Apostles, Patriarchs, Prophets, Judges, and people spoken about in the Bible occupied for a very, very long time. Just like I'm a pest on this forum with my questions, in heaven when the Apostle Paul finally gets bored with all my questions, he's probably going to say, "hey, there's Job over there, you probably have another 4,205,429 questions for him don't you?" ?

Praise God Friend for this brand new day !

We are so blessed these days to have access to the Word of God. I often wonder what it will be like to meet people we have read about through the years. I was wondering who are you looking forward to one day meeting and why?

There's a sermon in that!

I would appreciate it if someone could explain to me what is meant by a member "reacting" to a post. Thanks ahead of time!

My mother passed away in 1998 aged 82. She was widowed 22 years earlier when I was 22. As a vicar's wife and mother of 6 children she did her best, but from my point of view as number 4 in the family, she periodically made my life hell with her unrealistic expectations and unreasonable demands. God has given me insight into the dynamics of the type of religious culture I was bound up in while my parents were alive and released me from the bitterness that my mother's destructive episodes of criticism and mismanagement of my affairs caused me. In comparison with some of the dysfunctional family units I have been made aware of I think I may have got off lightly, even though my siblings agree that at times our emotionally challenged mother could be a nightmare.

You post a simple and plausible summary based on Scripture and historical fact, FD. I see the metaphor in Revelation, of the first beast with Seven Heads that morph into Seven Mountains symbolising Seven Kingdoms through time, as carrying the meaning of complete imperial control. In speaking through the Bible to us of these seven imperial entities, each with their attendant characteristics, God demonstrates how people have either obeyed or disobeyed Him. The final manifestation of imperial control will incorporate all the characteristics of those that have led to it...and Christ will come and destroy all that opposes Him and His Kingdom. Egypt, +Assyria, +Babylon, +Medo-Persia, +Greece, +Political Rome, +Papal Rome, =Perditious Rome

It is my belief that Rome will rise again, this time it will be The Beast’s Regime (Revelation 13:1-17, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11). Let’s look at Rome in many of iits forms: I. The Roman Empire -Rome conquers the world and tries to unite all races and nations under its flag and colors to create a utopia. Kills the Christ, and persecutes Christians via Caligula, Nero, Domition, and Diocletian. II. The Roman Byzantine Empire -The Eastern Roma, The Church and Rome become one through Constantine. All of Greece, parts of Syria, Turkey, and Judea united as one, the dream of Rome. Kills the Church of Acts for a thousand years, persecutes the true Gospel. III. The Roman Catholic Empire -All of Europe and Judea united in the Roman Rite (the dream of Rome) and the Roman Pope rules people from England to Antioch. Hides the True Gospel and persecutes Protestant reformers and translators. IV. The Holy Roman Empire -The German Kings desire to be emperors and rule a neo Rome of their own, this creates the First and Second Reichs. Except for Wittenberg, persecutes the Gospel and Reformers. V. The Romanovs -The Russian Tsars (Cesar’s, czar) believe they were the Third Rome after Constantinople fell to the Turks. Censors anything that isn’t Eastern Orthodox, The Simple Gospel hidden. VI. The Reich, Third -Adolf Hitler tried to create one thousand year Reich and rules with the eagle and salute of Rome. Outlaws Christ worship and persecutes the Church. VII. The United Nations -The UN endeavors to unite all nations into one, the dream that was Rome: Supports Post Modern beliefs and Humanism, persecutes or censors Christians. VIII. The Roman Beast -The Antichrist will create an empire where he will rule all peoples (Revelation 13:7), which was the dream of Cesar and Rome to unite all nations under its flag. Will outlaw Christianity (2 Thessalonians 2:3-5), persecutes Christians (Revelation 13:7) and will War against Christ. Min each case Rome rises and comes against Christ, His people, and the Gospel. Rome keeps coming back in every age and it is always a “unite and become one people with Utopia as a goal.” In contrast, Jesus Christ Kingdom is The Kingdom of Heaven which He will bring to earth (Revelation 20:4-9, Revelation 21:1-63). Rome is the counterfeit for God’s Kingdom, Rome is Satan’s counterfeit. Interetingly Antichrist doesn’t mean against but it means replace Christ. Rome tried to replace the Gospel with utopian unity. The Gospel and Jesus Christ make all people one, both Jew and Gentile, Rome seeks to do the same only through its power and govt.

The Apocalypse has sadly gotten the reputation of a eclipse with collapse. Many brothers and sisters in Christ dread the Day of the Lord because of all the castrophies. I have even heard a brother in the Lord say, “I don’t want Jesus to come back in my life time. I want my kids to have a good life.” ??? This is because people have lost sight of Christ (Hebrews 12:2) and have become obsessed with the morbid rather than being in the Lord’s orbit. We should be excited! Jesus is coming back to throw a big party for us (Revelation 19:6-9). Instead of being excited about this “unveiling” people are foreboding like dirges are being played. Certainly there will be tribulations (Revelation 13:7, Revelation 14:12, Matthew 24:1-45). But if we keep our eyes on the Bridegroom and let His love consume us; if we wield His blood and testimony we won’t fear death, “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb, and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die,” (Revelation 12:11) and they Count all lost but knowing Christ, “I Count all things lost when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ, for whom I discard all things, counting them as garbage that I may gain Christ.” (Phillipians 3:8).

Please make sure you get an early understanding of what true Christianity is—- and isn’t. It will spare you much confusion and needless worry down the road. Google Andrew Farley will the real Christianity please stand up.

What time is it ,,,,,, well lets see . ITS TIME TO PRAISE THE LORD PEOPLES . HOW BOUT THAT . TIME TO PRAISE THE LORD .

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, OC, there are at least three good reasons to conclude that what John sees when Christ opens the first six seals are not the wrath of God. 1) No wrath executed yet at the opening of the fifth seal The seals are in sequential order, 1-7. That would mean that seals 1, 2, 3, and 4, come before, that is prior to (I must say this because some pre-tribbers are challenged when it comes to understanding the meaning of the word "before"), seal #5. What John sees at the opening of the 5th seal is quite a bit different than that which he describes seeing at the opening of seals 1-4 and 6. He sees martyred saints in heaven under the altar. They are crying out to God for their violent deaths, for His name's sake, to be avenged. They died as martyrs and they expect God to deal justice unto their persecutors. Jesus spoke of such a scenario associated with His coming. Luk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? The answer the martyrs receive is that they will have to wait a little season for their murders to be avenged. The theme of vengeance is closely associated with the day of the Lord. Paul tells us that the day vengeance finally comes is the day of Christ's revelation when the church rests from being persecuted (thlipsis, trouble, tribulation). 2Th 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 2Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 2Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 2Th 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. At the opening of the fifth seal, Christ's vengeance has not yet fallen upon our persecutors. In fact, it is said that vengeance will not come until a little season involving more martyrdom. Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: Rev 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Rev 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. If vengeance upon the earth dwellers who persecute the saints unto death hasn't fallen at the opening of the fifth seal we most certainly know that God's wrath didn't begin at the first seal. 2) The cosmic sign which portends the arrival of the day of the Lord is seen by John at the opening of the sixth seal John sees the cosmic sign that Joel said would come prior to the day of the Lord when the sixth seal is opened. Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? The day of the Lord, that is God's wrath executed in that day, cannot come until the cosmic sign takes place. Joe 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 3) There is no mention of God's wrath in the book of Revelation until the earth dwellers seeing Jesus revealed with the holy angels begin to hide from the wrath that will fall later the same day upon them Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Twelve times the word wrath appears in the book of Revelation, referring to God's wrath. The first mention isn't at the opening of the first seal, it is at the opening of the sixth seal when the unbelieving, Beast worshipers, who will have been persecuting the saints to the death, realize the party is over because the day of the Lord has arrived. They had scoffed and mocked that there would ever be such a day of reckoning. However, after seeing in the clouds the arrival of the Christ in all His glory with the mighty angels they are hiding. The word wrath isn't mentioned until after the sixth seal is opened in which it is said that the day of His wrath is come. Knowing that the redeemed are not appointed unto God's wrath on the day of the Lord, the saints will be removed from the earth in the rapture before wrath begins to fall upon the earth dwellers later that day in the form of the first trumpet judgement. Revelation 7:9-17 records the results of the resurrection and rapture. There John sees us before the throne of God in Heaven. I pray that you recognise these simple truths. All praise, honour, and glory be unto Jesus Christ our Lord

Thank you so much for sharing. You really do have so much to look forward to. I love that you have been praying for your drandaughter. What a terrible situation to experience and live through.

There are always those questions that we are left wondering about. Hopefully we will make good use of the time we have together with loved ones. I look forward to seeing my mom too.

For somone who changed their name(first and middl) for personal reasons,is this dishonorable to parents? I understand they may not approve. But is it a dishonor?

My family isn't especially close. I don't really open up to my family either, as we just simply don't. Many of my family members are so distant that i'd say we are family only by blood, and beyond that, there isn't anything there. Me, i'm a bit on a somewhat different side of the spectrum. Recently, one of my family members has expressed wanting to get to know me. My grandma. I don't know if it's old age or what, but she wrote me saying that if I ever did want to go visit her, she would enjoy it as she would like to get to know me. However, she is one of the family members I spoke of. We've spoken so little and know so little of one another that, honestly... I don't think I really even want to know her. Part of me wishes my family had been and could be more "normal," but it's been such a length of time that I doubt it to be possible. So, I can't really relate, but I can offer a thought. Perhaps she reacts so strongly because she also wishes to be close/closer to you? If you gave it a go, it might be awkward at first, but i'd think the two of you could salvage your relationship. Better to do it sooner rather later, lest you end up like my own family.

My mom is my mom. She takes care of my necessities and asks me how I am occasionally or if I need anything (I live on my own now). She was never a "best friend" kind of mom. She has always been what she is--a parent. She's not a touchy or affectionate mom either. She wanted her kids to be independent and self-sufficient when my siblings and I became adults. For a few years, she and I didn't get along because I was too mischievous and troubled my family, but God answered my prayers about improving on our relationship soon after I believed, and now she's more caring than ever and we talk often.

Just remembered this......I used to work at a truck stop.....open all night.....about 3am one morning some drunk guy comes in to use restroom.....above his upper lip was a tattoo.....it said , “ Kiss Me”........ he must have been quite the lady’s man.....lol....

No expert here.....but I hear tattoo removal is expensive and very painful.....would be nice if there a magic wand,but.......

I see nothing wrong with it. A place where Christians and others can go to have some fun, and also to learn something from the Bible. Maybe when they see how big the Ark is, it will help them to understand it was entirely possible for all of those animals to be on the Ark. (Btw, I think alot of the animals were hibernating.) It seems they do not charge admission for children up to 18, and do not charge for seniors 60 and above! That is a great deal! I think it shows their motives are good.

JTC, I'm glad you are going to talk with another doctor about it. I hope it's something that won't require surgery. Let us know what the doctor says. With me, I noticed my legs acting up when the hospital bills started coming in some weeks ago. So that's why I thought maybe it was a stress thing...taking it easy and praying legs will get stronger again. Besides all of the other things, I have had to leave churches that went crazy liberal so I am also without a church....oh well, such is life. Still know the Lord is with me and hoping He will help me recover. Appreciate your prayers.

Hello JohnKing67! Welcome to Worthy. Christ's Blood shed on the Cross to pay the wages of sin for all who believe in Him, God's Love and Presence are all one in the same, not exclusive of each other. It is no longer a matter of what you"need" once you become Born Again, but what you should desire; to become Christ like. Yes, it is an impossible goal to achieve on your own, but making every effort to achieve it none the less is more than doable for everyone who believes. You cannot attain that perfection on your own, however if in your heart you are a true believer, try to walk in the Holy Spirit as much as you are able, Christ will bring you to perfection. This is Salvation, God's Love, and His presence in you at all times. John 14:20 New King James Version (NKJV) 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 1 John 3:1 New King James Version (NKJV) The Command to Love 3 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of [a]God! Therefore the world does not know [b]us, because it did not know Him. Romans 5:8 New King James Version (NKJV) 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 10:9-10 New King James Version (NKJV) 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Galatians 2:20 New King James Version (NKJV) 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Hope this answers you question JohnKing57 Cheers!!!

I would say it's by faith. The works should come afterwards once you're saved.

The obvious of course 'Jesus' but the unobvious of this is the unbound nature of the infinite and walking with Him in pure intimacy of Being... where the total of what I am is conjoined with the unbounded I AM that I AM... pure awe that never concludes what a glory awaits us!

This reminds me of a message that was on an outside message board way out in the country where I was taking a great motorcycle ride——- it said, “ want to get rich quick? Count your blessings!”

Praying now

I pray all is well with him.

Thank .you for letting us know.

FresnoJoe was in the hospital for 14 days, but he's returned home. He's recovering but he's doing okay! God bless, George

The best way to further a blog is to get as many people as you can to ask questions, answering them in long form (700 words or so on a particular subject). Do that several times weekly for a year or more, and you'll have enough specific content to be found in Google.

I too long to see the Hagia Sophia and to see the Queen of Cities name be restored. Whils I do appreciate that the Latins kept the Crescent at bay at Lepanto and Malta, The Fourth Crusade is a blight and terrible christiancide. The Latins were use to feudal lord’s and that if your feudal Lord is deposed you avenge him and restore his throne. In Byzantium the emperor was elected and held office as long as he did s good job; in fact he worried about losing his throne all the time due to negligence or decadence or failures. Even those who were poor could become emperor like Emperor Basil I. The Latins interrupted this process in The Fourth Crusade by trying to place the deposed emperor Alexios IV Angelos on the throne when that is not how Byzantium works. Latin Crusader Europen System: a liege Lord or King is to be in place until his death and if deposed, avenged and replaces on his throne and his rule passes to children creating nepotism. Kings only by royal succession, you have to be the child of the king to become the king, monarchy, no elections. Byzantins System: Emperor is elected by the people and lives a turbulent time in office trying to be good leader so as to not be deposed and replaced by the people by a more able leader. Emperors elected by the people and hold office by merit, democracy, anyone can become emperor even a poor person like Basil I.

Jesus said to deal with today's problems, today. There will be problems tomorrow, and tomorrow, until the Glorious Day. Best mental help advice ever given! Always look down, not up, to feel better. Your remarks indicate: * You have a family * You have a car * You have owned pets * You live in a home * You own air conditioning Do you understand based on those five facts what I mean by "compare down, not up"? I mean people without those five things are worse off.

Ultimately on a site like this, those reading this site will probably judge those posting individually on three main criteria, the content of our posts, how we express that content, and how we treat other people. Then as various groups, we will all tend to be lumped together by the general level of discourse and how it is carried out. In the long run, there are some types of behaviors that cost credibility and respect and there are some types of behavior that will gain credibility and respect. In the long run, the better behaviors will open more doors for us for ministry than the poorer behaviors. The ways in which we individually consistently conduct ourselves will go a long ways toward determining how effective we will be in ministry to others. Those who often engage in insults or other personal attacks will lose credibility and respect. I'd too say that those posters who seem to have a tendency (whether intentional or not) to goad and push people to snapping points (and then seem to have a gotcha attitude in reporting them) too lose credibility and respect. There are a few threads where it seriously reminded me of a high school group of popular kids bullying the unpopular kid. When it reaches that point, it frankly no longer matters who is right and who is wrong because the behavior has become so unChristlike that it causes more damage than being wrong about the topic under discussion.

David, As I read your post, these verses came to mind: 2 Timothy 4:8, where Paul talked about the crown of righteousness, and, James 1:12: the crown of life, to those who remains steadfast under trial. In other words, stay true to Him and faith on! He knows your heart and love towards Him and will reward you accordingly at the stage of Christ!

My understanding is that blogs on WCF are limited to those people directly involved in the ministry.

If you look along the top of the site, below the WCF logo, you'll see "Blogs" between Clubs and Activity. The blogs on this site, however, seem to exclusively be about Christianity. Stuff about particular sections of scripture or advice on how to find a church, stuff of that nature. If your Q&A is of more of a Christian nature, it might work here. Otherwise, for more of a personal Q&A - your own views, opinions, or slices of life - i'd still advise Tumblr. It offers a slight bit more freedom and you can just link your Tumblr here in your About Me.