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Hi Ljsitzer, That`s good developing friendships. Now I do feel you are looking for outward programs or something so you can say, "There, we are doing something to bring people to the service." We need to remember that God is working in people`s lives and programs are more about making us feel better, as not guilty, etc. And that is not of the Lord. We are not to be driven by our expectations, but drawn to the Lord and walk with Him. It is God`s responsibility to work with other people. So, ask the Lord to let you see what He is doing in others lives and rejoice that He is doing a good work. Marilyn.

Hi Ljsitzer, Welcome to the Worthy family. Hope and pray you can find some special friends here. Now as to your question, well my thoughts are that you keep doing what God has showed you, and not to be concerned with measuring what others are doing by numbers on seats. We do not know what God is doing through the other people in their daily life, talking and relating and helping others. Only God knows. Do you mix with any of the other people? Do you invite them for coffee, etc and learn of their lives? maybe start there and be an encouragement to them. praying Marilyn.

Shalom LJ, I can totally empathise with your situation. Consider what the apostle Paul would say, if he stayed at your church for a few days. That's not to say we should blame your church, but rather that your feelings and thoughts are probably justified. It may be that Yahweh has laid these things in your heart ahead of a future calling for you. If your thoughts feel right, true and scriptural then do not ignore them. Meditate upon them but do not share them with other members in the congregation, lest you be misunderstood in your intentions and there be doubt cast over your character. In my opinion, what the church "does", in terms of outreach programs, missions and witnessing - these matters belong with the leaders. Whatever they do or don't do is between them at God. As a member of the church, the most important thing to do is to love, help and care for one another. Whether you do this or not is between you and God. This will be the same with every church you go to. Almost all of them have some form of issue to face these days. If you are very unhappy then maybe leave but it could be that you are meant to be in that church for a purpose. What I'm trying to say is this. It's good that you have visions and plans for the Church, which may be in your heart for a reason. But, in order to get your plans heard, live at peace with all the members and leaders. Love them all and help as many as you can. Then, the leaders might take notice of this and willingly invite your ideas, if it's God's will. And, if they don't, you'll still be living your church life respectfully and dutifully with is YOUR responsibility in any church (good or bad). Yahweh will see this and bless you. Whatever you decide to do my friend, I hope that your zeal finds it's fruition for the glory of God. Love & Shalom

That`s great Ljsitzer, I too am an organiser and have had to learn to let go and see what God would have me do. I`ll be praying for you as you work through this important step. For once you let go of organising for God, then God will show you more of what He has for you, in this next stage of your life. Praying, Marilyn.

I just think of this verse whenever I see this image: Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Hello, My name is LJ. I live in a small community. I attend a small Baptist church in the city near me. We run about 45 or so and the congregation consists of mostly 55 and older couples and families. The average age would be closer to 65. There are no children, except one family of 6 whose children are all under 13. We have a Wednesday night program for school-aged kids. We have about 18 kids who participate but go to other churches on Sundays. We have a young pastor, in his 30's, who does a nice job preaching. The church has a small outreach to a local rehab community, which the requirement for enrollment is participation in a "faith-based" organization (love the pc verbiage of today) I joined this church about 2 years ago when the previous pastor was there. He left four or five months later to be closer to aging sick parents. The previous pastor was very energetic in his approach to salvation and vision for the church and I loved his preaching style. He preaching was organized and leaned more to an evangelistic message. Since his departure, the pastor who took over has displayed very little vision for growth and outreach, save the small number from the rehab and the children on Wednesday. He is very knowledgeable and studious but does not put Jesus and salvation central in his messages. They are more along the lines of Christian living. I'm relatively young (53) I have several abilities that I think would help in church. I am a former teacher (vocal and elementary) -so I can help with children and sing in the praise team. I lead a women's Bible study. I cook for functions at church and I have a flexible schedule that allows me to do many things needed around the church like cleaning etc. I feel like the Lord had given me talents to use in these ways. I'm not looking for encouragement or acknowledgment really, I just don't see many others at church picking up on a zeal to serve or grow in numbers or reaching people for the Lord. They seem very content with the status quo. It frustrates me and it makes me worry about the future of the church. We do not support many missions outside the rehab, and there is relatively low giving to national or international missions efforts. I am very discouraged by the low energy and drive and lack of vision. I look at myself sometimes and wish I weren't so hard to please, but I don't know if I can stay in this kind of church for much longer. Does this sound like it is just my negative impression or should I look for another church? I'm very sad about this. I can't do this all by myself and I cannot force my own wishes on a congregation that doesn't feel the same way.

I think Isaiah 30 might speak to you very powerfully right now. Especially the second half of it. Be blessed friend, IN HIM

I have to agree with this. Talking to the leaders in the church is something you should do in addition to praying.

Public library computer stations and the public restrooms at libraries have become dangerous places for children and quite vile locales for adults for some time now.

I really love the old hymns....not only are they beautiful but they teach so much about God, proper doctrine, walking with Jesus, etc, from Scripture. A person new to the faith can be helped alot by hearing/singing hymns. It would be ideal if the service would include a hymn or two in addition to the contemporary songs. I wonder if you might privately talk to the pastor about this? There are probably others that would like at least a hymn or two in the service. Also, if your church doesn't have much of a budget for international missions, there are organizations such as Christian Aid Mission where your church could support a native missionary for as little as $50 a month. Orphans can be helped for even $20 a month. Perhaps you can all get together and choose a country of interest? You can ask for literature about various missions in countries of interest....besides evangelism, there is everything from helping lepers and orphans to assisting former Muslims escaping with their lives. Perhaps the congregation doesn't know about these things and upon learning might be interested in them? Anyhow just some thoughts....

You are right. I do put a lot of expectations on visible signs and results. I pray that my critical spirit will be removed and that I can take joy in the work that I don't see outwardly. Thanks for that

Do you feel you have gotten an answer to your prayer one way or the other? One suggestion I might have, is if you are interested in supporting outreach ministries, there are options to do that through other means than your local church.

You have full member status now, the forum should all be open to you as well as the chatroom.

Welcome to worthy I think you should pray about it, and ask the Lord where He wants you to be. Praying for you as well, glad to have you with us.

"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless THE APOSTASY COMES FIRST, and the "man of lawlessness", (the son of perdition), (destruction) is revealed "... 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

I posted about this back in July. Now I see it is also happening in Pennsylvania.

NotMe you are a blessing to me. I truly appreciate the deposit of treasures He's placed in your heart and your willingness to share them, treasures both old and new! Thankyou for your service soldier!

I can relate somewhat to what you are going through. Really, all you need is one friend to connect with that asks how you are, or how your day was. Praying that you find that person. When I came to worthy nearly 11 years ago now, I made some lifelong friends that I enjoy fellowship with, whether it be more serious life issues, or just small talk. I hope you find this site as much of a blessing as I have. God bless

Not really, except for the escalators, why did "they" speed them up, and slow the moving walkways down? I think "they" just love to mess with my back. I couldn't make it before and I still can't make it from one flight to another at Atlanta without double timing it on the moving walkways. Gangway, gangway, got to catch a flight; thanks, thanks, thanks, gangway-

Hello Tzephanyahu, you definitely don't sound strange! Everything is different! The winters, the summers...everything! Every year the winters and summers are different....I have noticed that! I believe God is letting us snow that something is coming...... blessings

Just been reading about a man in India ( well off as both parents are lawyers ) who is trying to sue his parents for not asking his permission to " create " him before he was born ..maybe he should move to America and ask if he could have been aborted at birth !!!!!! Soooo much insanity in this world Mumbai business executive Raphael Samuel argues that creating people without their consent is wrong. Let’s say that someone, without asking your permission in advance, kidnapped you and brought you to a new country where your life would be noisy, confusing, and full of suffering. That seems like something you could sue for, right? Now let’s say that the way they did this was by giving birth to you. That’s (approximately) the logic of Raphael Samuel, a Mumbai business executive suing his parents for creating him. He told the BBC that he’s been obsessed since he was a small child with the question of why his parents were entitled to create him without his consent. Because it’s not possible to ask children for consent before they are created, he argues, it’s wrong to have them at all. Samuel’s suit looks unlikely to get anywhere in India’s courts. The BBC reports that he’s been unable to find a lawyer to take his case, and his parents, both lawyers, have responded in good humor: “She said that’s fine,” Samuel said of his call to his mother with the news he was suing her, “but don’t expect me to go easy on you. I will destroy you in court.”

I was wondering why I couldn't post in any section but this one? That would be helpful. I've prayed about this for a while now. I press on to do what I can to promote a missional outlook and growth, but it's met with quite a bit of resistance.

I can ask for a board mod to move this over to the advice section for you, it will probably get more views there. Initial posts appear in the welcome section and take a few minutes for someone to review, that is to keep bots and spammers from running wild.

No, you are doing just fine.

Am I doing something wrong? I just needed some advice...?

There was one time that God told me to stop praying for a person. I don't even remember who it was, but my prayers were answered a few months later. Sometimes I am led to to stop praying and start praising God for the answer. There are some subjects that I have greater compassion for the situations than others. It doesn't matter who it is, it has to do with what they are praying for. Often I pray that Gods will be done instead of praying as the people request.

Hey everyone! Just curious to see if anyone else has been through something similar and has some scripture or prayer ideas to help... I have friends but they aren’t really the “talking” type and I feel best when I am able to talk through everything. I am the type who likes to help and do things for those I care about and my friends are not really receptive to it. I am completely away from my family and my culture so I am just feeling very lonely. I feel like I have a lot of love to share with others and I would love to have someone to talk to about my day but my friends aren’t really that type so I am just feeling very lonely. I know that I am where God wants me to be and that these are the people God wants in my life but I just cannot kick the feeling lonely. I have a feeling that God has likely put me in this situation to focus on myself more (because I was in situations before where people took advantage of my giving nature) but I am really lost as far as how to feel whole when I feel so alone. Thanks for any advice :)

Sounds like you need a friend who is willing to take some time to listen to you. Can you explain any of this to one of your friends and perhaps they will respond? If not, see if you can make a new friend or two at your church, work or school that will be more receptive to you. Also, for general loneliness, I advise greeting your neighbors, clerks in stores, etc. I do this regularly so don't feel alone....some of my neighbors often stop to chat with me. But do try to find a friend who will be more reciprocal in conversing with you. If you can't find a friend like this at church, etc, perhaps do a little volunteer work to meet friends.

boy howdy, that's one heck of a pile of insight right there. It takes some chewing but as someone who's recently become more interested in apologetics and needing to learn more I think maybe you just spared me making some mistakes with it. That really makes sense....don't abandon the Word as our foundation when engaging discussions, but rather step into their worldview with them and bring the Word into it too! At least that's about what I'm getting so far Eager to hear more and I'll come back and ask questions probably after I absorb a bit more

Psalm 34:8 (NASB) O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! “Oh taste and see the Lord is good” This scripture can only be understood as a call to know God by experience. It is by experience that God’s heart would have His children to know Him, so no doubting could and would exist. Faith and trust in Him is what His heart longs for, it is also what the human heart longs for, for it is the only thing that will cause the human heart to truly be at rest. For the heart that can and would fully take refuge in Him.....is the heart that would fully trust in His love for it. A heart that could and would fully give itself over to God, is a heart that would be willing to give up its preconceived notions of what it thinks to be right and wrong, for this is what self’s claim to fame is, self claiming to know right from wrong. To give up this self-righteous knowledge of right and wrong to be filled with what God says is right and wrong. For right and wrong are all things. It is knowing right from wrong that all humanity is called to. This is not what is right and wrong in man’s eyes, but right and wrong in God’s eyes, for it truly being that which is the eternal right and the eternal wrong. This is Divine understanding, seeing right and wrong from God’s perspective. This is where the foundation and security of the believers faith, that nothing can touch or harm, is to be found. This Divine knowledge of right from wrong, is that which the gates of hell can not prevail over. For it is the strength of eternal right that will prevail over all its enemies. For God loves the eternal right, which is what righteousness is. The heart that would be ruled by such, is a heart that can never be defeated, lose it’s joy, lose its peace or absolutely never ever lose it’s God. Oh to have a heart in us, such as this. “Blessed be the man who’s God is the Lord who’s heart is stayed on Thee.” God being the Eternal Good. To taste and see this Eternal Good is to taste and see the Eternal God. Oh to have a heart that would long to know God by experience is a heart that longs to, taste and see. “God, you are God, and you are good. Cause us to know you in all reality and all truth.....Cause us to taste and see” Blessings, Much love in Christ, Not me

Hi ayin jade, Good to think upon why and what we pray for. I believe true prayer is always birthed from the Holy Spirit and we need to come in line with that. Too often we pray emotional thoughts as to what we think would be good and for God to sort out the situation, etc. However, I believe we need to carefully seek the Lord as to what He is doing with that person, and what they really need, not just a happy fix or sort out another person etc. Marilyn.

You beat me to it. The universe seems to go on "fast forward" the older you get. I hate that. lol

Congratulations, youve grown old lol

Can you message your family or friends in your culture to check in about your day? I do understand because all of mine have died. Some people find it very humiliating for others to help them in any way. Pray and ask God how you can show them love in a way that they find acceptable. I realize it is hard when your spiritual gift is service. But we have to adapt to them. May God bless you and be very near to you, filling your days with His presence.

No. No.

I just did the "one thousand one" thing with my clock in my den. My oral counting and the clocks ticking here in sync. From my math-teaching experience, perspective changes. When you are five years old and can't WAIT for Christmas, a year is 20% of your life at that age. Time crawls! When you are 40 and can't BELIEVE it's soon going to be Christmas again, a year is only 2.5% of your life. Years become worth less and less - speaking in relation to your whole life. We have the standard winter, spring, summer, and fall here - but within those seasons can and do come some outlier days that are wonky! As for the book of Enoch.....what can I say that I have not already said.

And even as they did not like to retain GOD in their conscious , HE gave them over to a reprobate mind to do such things .

The first stage of the believer’s life is to “desire the sincere milk of the Word that he may grow thereby” (1Pet 2:2); and as he grows, he is conscious of a new ability, and that is to fly. When you fly you enter on the second stage of spiritual development. Here you acquire for yourself, you can discriminate. “A spiritual man judges all things” (1Cor 2:15). In the first stage, someone else had to discriminate for you. Now you provide for yourself suitably. Flying is now the mode of your nature, you always move above the earthy; you seek the things above, you “set your affection on things above, and not on things on the earth.” “He being full of the Holy Spirit looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God” (Act 7:55). Then comes the singing! I believe no bird sings until he can fly. I am sure that no believer sings his true note until he can rise up in the Spirit of God to the Lord Jesus Christ in glory. This stage then is when the senses are exercised to discern good and evil; and there is singing, which is expressing in true and full tones, the deep and overflowing satisfaction of which the heart enjoys in His presence where there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. The final stage is the believer having found everything in the Lord Jesus for himself, can now in true devotedness of heart serve Him—manifest Him in this scene, and be a blessing to others. “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” All the love and care rendered to the bird in its formative days now renders to the objects of its care. As it has received, so it bestows. It does nothing but as it has received, and this is true service. Now this stage requires a very peculiar manner and way, entirely different from anything known before. The bird that flies selects its own food and sings. It testifies of the goodness and favor conferred. When she builds her nest, where she may lay her young, her character and habits undergo a very marked change. She surrenders none of her former power, but instead of contenting herself with her personal blessings, she now devotes herself to objects outside herself, though they are a part of herself—and because of all her interest, burden and toil about them, dear to her own life. You had your stage of individual blessing and enjoyment; once known, it is yours forever; but now you are to grow in another direction. You must not, when others try and oppose you, retire into the sanctuary of your own heart and home, there to delight yourself in your possession. No, you are now to build a nest for the object, or objects of your care; and there may be but one egg in your nest at first. Until one is able to be a giver to everyone and a receiver in a begging way from none, one is not safe from expectancy here; that is, there will still be a possibility of reviving links to this fallen earth. But when one is so satisfied in the Lord Jesus, as to be free from the old man and his demands, and able to build a nest for others, such a sense of the superiority of the Lord Jesus is acquired that nothing here can captivate the heart; and all the trials and slights only extract more consideration for others. It is only when the heart is dead to this world, and alive with Christ in heaven, that it is proof against reviving, and then it is free to be occupied with His interests here. - J B Stoney Excerpt from MJS devotional for February 8: “By the daily ‘supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ’ (Phil. 1:19), the believer united to his Risen Lord ‘grows continually to a more perfect knowledge and likeness of his Creator,’ and grows up ‘after the image of Him that created him, in the sphere where ‘Christ is all, and in all.’ “The child naturally grows up in the likeness of his father, and the new life communicated to the redeemed grows up in the likeness of Him who is the Creator of the new creation if so be that the death with Christ is unflinchingly recognized, and ‘old things’ are truly allowed to pass away to make room for the growth of the new man ‘which is after God . . . created in righteousness, and holiness of truth’ (Eph. 4:24).” “How so many earnest and religious people belong to ‘the Old Adam Improvement Society.’ It is the recognition of the Christ-life, it is union with the Risen Christ that men need instead of the culture of the religious self-life.” -E.H. http://www.abideabove.com/hungry-heart/

'If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, .. and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him pay double. If the thief be not found, .. then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, .... to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods. For all manner of trespass, .. whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, .... or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, ...... the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; ........ and whom the judges shall condemn, .......... he shall pay double unto his neighbour. If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, .. or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; .... and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, ...... no man seeing it: ........ Then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, .......... that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; ............ and the owner of it shall accept thereof, .............. and he shall not make it good. And if it be stolen from him, .. he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. .... If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, ...... and he shall not make good that which was torn. And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, .. the owner thereof being not with it, .... he shall surely make it good. ...... but if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: ........ if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire.' (Exodus 22:7-15) Praise God!

'If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; .. he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. If a thief be found breaking up, .. and be smitten that he die, .... there shall no blood be shed for him. If the sun be risen upon him, .. there shall be blood shed for him; .... for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, .. then he shall be sold for his theft. If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, .. whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; .... he shall restore double. If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, .. and shall put in his beast, .... and shall feed in another man's field; ...... of the best of his own field, ........ and of the best of his own vineyard, .......... shall he make restitution. If fire break out, and catch in thorns, .. so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, .... or the field, be consumed therewith; ...... he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.' (Exodus 22:1-6) Praise God!

time flies when you are having fun....

my grandfathers thought the same thing along with my father and mother. As we get older time seems to speed up..... seems like last month we celebrated our anniversary, but hey I'm 71 and that age when my parents and grand parents felt the same way...… But my grandkids 9 and 6 tell me that the clock is running slow and it's been forever since Christmas.... I do think it is just built into our nature. I can not explain why it is perceived the way it seems to be. Maybe our brain's software works like windows and the longer it's on the slower it runs.... maybe time isn't speeding up, maybe we're slowing down.

That is true, I feel there is not enough time in the day to get all that I want to accomplish! As a kid, I thought it would take forever to grow up and now that I'm going to be hitting a milestone age this year, I am sort of in disbelief. One thing that hasn't changed though is the fact that my parents still treat me like a little kid and I am almost half a century old! LOL

"Has Anyone Noticed That Time Seems To Have Accelerated?" I feel the older I get, the less time there is in a day. But not really. It's just I can't accomplish as much in a day. Anymore. No, I don't think time has accelerated. It's just, I have decelerated........

I would pray for anyone and would not refuse a request to pray for someone.

Well..........My advice would be if you do not want your children to be part of this. Then it would be best to keep them home from the library that day. The world is going to do what the world dose. I did forget to add that yes. We should pray about such things.God does work in mysterious ways.

Shalom my friend Sometimes (a lot of times) non-believers and evil people can get better opportunities and better living situations in this world. But, that is the point, it is in THIS world. It seems the Father can push someone down the dark road they walk, if they persist in it by devious means. The Father can even harden the heart of such a person, almost like saying "you want it, have it! Here, take more!", to make them fall deeper in their evil desires. Such people store up a fearful encounter on judgment day. Success in this world means little. Yahweh knows what you need and want, he isn't stupid. If it seems as though you are struggling, try to assess your situation abstractly and see what he might be wanting you to learn or see. Again, success in this world means little and can even be detrimental to the soul. Focus only on your path and don't assume the path of the evil, littered with opportunities, money and advantages, is one that will have a good finish. Proverbs 20:24. Love & Shalom

I think most of the problem is that a lot of Christians don't understand the relationship between science and faith. They are not exclusive concepts and they are very much part of eachother. The evidence vs evidence approach typically ends in a stalemate and/or unravels into a shouting match. It sucks that more Christians don't understand the truth they wield by standing on the Christian worldview. It's an irrefutable standpoint when it comes to science, logic and absolute morality. We interpret evidence according to our worldview and as such, astute philosophers will rarely be swayed by a differing interpretation of said evidence. Instead, we have the ability to wreck worldviews (gently of course - see 1 Peter 3:15-16) to show the absurdity of the unbelievers "foundation" of knowledge. If used appropriately, it can even be used against other religions as well. If Christianity is true, it must, therefore, be the only one that is true. By the way, Jesus was flawless in this tactic whenever He was confronted with criticism.

Free support groups About online friends? The thing with that especially if the people live so far apart they can never meet? and it becomes real hard to sustain a long term ongoing back and forth with someone online. I myself have tried this a few times and it really can become exhausting. Sometimes my lifestyle becomes to busy, that I do not have the time to give for long e-mails letters that take a lot of time and consideration to write. And people can really become dependent on these daily e-mails and if for whatever reason it can no longer go one, it can be devastating emotionally for some. So many misunderstandings can happen just writing to someone online. And because of misunderstandings, where you cannot meet or call to explain yourself better, you can be left feeling awful for days without having really any way to resolve things. Also real emotional attachments (even platonic ones), can occur even with long distance e-mail communications, and with the slightest misunderstandings, it can really tear a person apart. We all have to guard our hearts, and not imprudently get ourselves involved with something that in the long term, we may not be able to handle. Best to use the internet for certain limited types of online communications friendships, knowing they to have their limits as you know you may never meet the person or get their private e-mail or get any further personally than an online communication with them. The best friendship to feel part of, and less lonely is meeting people in person. Whether its helping out at a soup kitchen, or volunteering feeding people in the hospital, or volunteering at a community social place that may also have categories where they go out to help in hospitals, retirement homes, other, whether it be entertainment, singing, playing a musical instrument, bringing a pet to visit the elderly or sick, reading to the blind or ill person, joining a choir, taking a community arts class. In these categories, you can join in as much or as little as you like, depending on what other things are going on in your life Being a christian, does not mean you only have to belong to a church to not feel lonely. You can be a christian shinning light by getting involved in your community. And if you have trauma from the past that needs to be talked about, surely there are free support groups, community anonymous gatherings where you can speak your truth with a group of other people like yourself who also have experienced similar. I just looked up certain groups from your area. who knows you may even meet another christian in those places as well. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/groups/depression/colorado https://namibouldercounty.org/find-support/support-groups/ https://coloradocrisisservices.org/ As for christian places to go? I know what you mean when you say the churches are becoming apostate, but then you can go to online christian websites where the word of God is preached. Surely there is christian radio you can listen to? For fellowship, even when being a christian, its to also be able to go out into the world and be shining light to others. The only christian place that I know is christian in Colorado is: https://www.awmi.net/ I don't listen or follow him anymore, but when I first came back to my christian roots, he was one of the ministries I did listen to online. I do not know at this point if its still a good ministry, as many go corrupt but its one that perhaps is in your area to check out?