Jump to content

Matt712

Junior Member
  • Posts

    88
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation

0 Neutral

1 Follower

About Matt712

  • Birthday 11/06/1981

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    New York
  • Interests
    Reading, Chatting and discussing almost any topic, Outdoor activities of all sorts, Hiking, Nature, Writing. Currently learning to play Cello.

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

  1. Matt712

    Denomination

    Any discrepancy in the truth is too far. your truth? This is exactly the issue that creates debate. 'Any discrepancy in the truth'? We can't, any of us, go through life without being dishonest with ourselves and others at some points. We can be as diligent about following Christ as is within our personal capability, but the fact remains that we are flawed. I attend a church where I see great honesty by the congregation in the desire to follow Christ in all things. No words in any human tongue can adequately express the glory of God! Likewise, no teaching in any human tongue is heard equally by all people. We need "ears to hear" the truth and must read the subtext of what is taught to us. In other words, feel as much as think to determine whether a teaching is really representative of Christ's intended message. As an aside, I have some issues(this will doubtless make me unpopular) with whether the apostles were able to understand the message as well as they thought they did. Some of the letters from Paul say things that Jesus doesn't specifically say in the Bible. Maybe he said these things to Paul and it was never written down, maybe it was Paul's interpretation of what he was taught. In any personal confusion over what was meant by a teaching I refer first and foremost to what Jesus said. Then I consider whether it matches the words of other people in the Bible. With Love, Matt712
  2. If I were to get married I would want to involve God and believers in the whole process. I would absolutely ask my pastor to oversee the ceremony, but I would like to have it somewhere other than a church most likely. That's only because it would be nice to do an outdoor affair and the church is really made of people; Us in fact. I picture a simple ceremony that is short on long-winded speeches and incorporates some simple symbolic act like the exchanging of rings, or the pouring of the sand. All the ceremonies and traditions are really for us though. Jesus said "Don't even swear, 'By my head!' for you cannot turn one hair on it black or white! Just say a simple 'Yes, I will' or 'No, I won't'. Your word is enough." Matthew 5:37,38 In other words, 'I do' or 'I don't'. Simple things were preferred by Christ probably because they are usually free of artifice and deceit.
  3. How crazy is that? Only Christians can oppress? Glad they backed down..... that's shaky ground to be standing on. Thanks nebula!
  4. The answer involves spiritual principles that you are not willing to receive. The spiritual dimension is governed by laws just as this one is, and to tap into that dimension has it's own laws. God isn't a genie, yet our prayers treat him as such. This is not how to receive miracles. I feel that God doesn't do the same degree of miracles that were performed in Christ's time because we really do not need them to make a choice about him. We've got scripture and testimonials and missionaries preaching the word all over the world. Add to that the slowly dawning realization that the sciences, no matter how advanced they become, can never answer all questions and the choice is there.
  5. In all honesty I didn't mind that he wasn't real at all. I was probably 6 when I learned he was made up, and I had already kind of suspected it. The gifts still wind up under the tree without him.
  6. He is five years old and already acting out a lot, especially when either of his parents are around. He actually is much more manageable when they are not in the same room as him. I'm certain it's because of the way his parents fight. He absolutely loves me and follows me everywhere, so I try to be a good role model as his uncle and all. For a while I was trying to be his father figure too, but I realized that was futile and not really best for him or me. His catch phrase is 'wanna play with me?' lol. It's what he says when I walk in the room every time, without fail. I have tried to talk to my sister about what is best for him and she's made a little progress there. After an awful binge put her boyfriend in the hospital (I had to go scrape him off the floor with my father and take him there) she made the big guy move out. He's in outpatient and can't come back to live there right now 'cause he refuses to do in-patient treatment. He's doing it for her though, so I pray that he gets something out of it. He really needs to do it for himself, instead of her, but baby steps are sometimes required in recovery. She's also going to a marriage counselor once a week and a child psychologist once a week. My family is guiding her by the hand in all this because she has a tendency to make the whole situation about her when it's my nephew we all are most concerned for. We love her, but she's an adult and can make her own choices to be happy or miserable. My nephew cannot though. He needs us to advocate for him when she loses focus on what's important. Thanks for asking, and for reading all this. It's good to talk about it sometimes. Clears my head and heart a bit.
  7. I'd like to add something to my last post which just occurred to me. Scripture speaks of the harm done when we lead people to sin. My sister has been engaged for 3 years and, though she is not Christian, has intended to marry her boyfriend since their son was born. She refuses to do it now because he is unfit to be a husband in her eyes. Frankly, I think she is terrified at the idea that marriage might give him a sort of 'ownership' of her and her son; A license to remain as he is 'cause he's got her no matter what. Even as a non-christian she is trying to follow God's law in this respect, but the very nature of the man she is with prevents that. I really resent him for not trying harder to do what is right, but instead doing what he can to get his way. He alternates between saying he's changing and denying he has any problem at all. I know he was severely abused by his father and is, by all accounts, a better man than his father ever was, but which is worse: A bad man who knowingly does what is wrong, or a good man who knowingly does what is wrong? Sorry to go on about my life when it is you who came here looking for support RGR. I just want you to fully realize that you are not alone, but are supported. This also really hits a personal nerve for me......
  8. I just woke up a few minutes ago and am not up to looking for scripture right now, but..... I know the bible has some good stuff about cynicism and practicality. I've seen and heard the 'I've changed' routine before and I'm very familiar with observing how a man might act kind and reasonable in public, but have another face in private. My sister is dating a co-dependent alcoholic who gets belligerent when he's drunk. He doesn't seem to be as extreme as the man you are describing, and doesn't hit her, but all the same traits are there. He is jealous even when there is no cause to be because he is possessive and insecure. He starts fights even when he hasn't been drinking and they have screaming matches behind closed doors(in front of their son btw). He makes excuses for his inappropriate behavior such as: 'Because I love you...' or 'You just make me so mad when...'. The excuses subtly shift all the blame to my sister. Lastly, they are more sweet and loving in public than is really necessary, pretending everything is ok. It just doesn't ring true to me as an observer though; It doesn't feel 'right'. I have been praying for the three of them; my sister, her boyfriend, and their son. I just pray to God to do 'the best thing for all concerned'. I am struggling not to hate her boyfriend because that's not right as a christian. I don't request that God remove this person from her life because He knows that she will have to make the choice herself. I really empathize with your position as a ringside observer. It's almost as painful to watch suffering as it is to suffer sometimes, especially when you know better than the sufferer that they are about to go through it again. I am banging my head into a wall with alongside you RGR!!
  9. Pearly - I won't say to you that you should go through life separated from people who can love and care for you. That is not the way humans are meant to live at all. We really need each other. But there are times in life when no one is around to aid us or, even worse, no human power can save us from our circumstances. I suggest that we include God in every aspect of our life at all times so that when we are desperately lonely, or beyond the help of any of our peers, there is still that comforting peace that comes from knowing that we are not abandoned by Him. I cannot do what I have suggested all the time...... but I'm slowly getting a little better at it.
  10. Hey - I do not believe you understand the whole story? Pluto was an oddity from the beginning. It does not have the same orbital path as the other 8 planets, either in shape of the orbit or the position of it. There were other oddities, such as it's composition, being mostly a dirty snowball, basically. As comets became more and more understood, astronomers began speculating whether Pluto might actually be among the other objects they were recently discovering, which they dubbed Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNO's). Once astonomers discovered an object which they would now classify as a TNO which was a larger body than Pluto, they decided Pluto truly belonged with that category. So they changed it. Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNO) More here I was referring to the irony of it nebula. I honestly wasn't making a sarcastic remark. The truth is that I understand the reasons pluto was reclassified quite well. I followed the story for a while at the time, and it makes sense. Science is constantly reclassifying to make a more understandable system for communicating ideas and information.
  11. That's true in some cases, but I think most of these quasi-religious movies have nothing to do with any church in any sense. A lot of them are written by screenwriters who presumably think 'how can I tap into what people most love and fear' and by producers who want to evoke emotional reactions. At times in my life I have confused emotional experiences with spiritual ones, and vague philosophical concepts with spiritual truth. We, in any case, ARE the church. We are Christ's body here on earth and he works through us to bring the message to all who will receive it.
  12. Ahhhhh..... Gravity and electromagnetism from a planetary body would be a likely cause of that effect. I was thinking of the lensing effect surrounding black holes and massive stars that distorts light passing by. They must be observing a lot of objects/matter out there moving in an unusual way for them to think it's something that big. I love science. There's always something new right around the corner, and when we find it we realize it's been there all along. It's like that aha moment that makes it all worthwhile.
  13. lol Yes man - I really am very young, and even younger at heart! I really don't want a relationship at this point in my life 'cause it will distract me from all of the work I need to do on myself. I can't see being a boyfriend who refuses to consider becoming deeply committed to someone, and I will no longer involve myself in 'casual relationships', so I have decided to be a single man for the forseeable future.
  14. I always liked irony. They decided pluto was not our ninth planet, even though they know exactly where it is. Now they are hoping to find the actual ninth planet! lol It's kinda funny to me anyway...... Nebula- You are right in saying that distant planets can be very hard to see. If the sun is between us and the planet we cannot see it at all, if we are on the same side as the planet we still need to detect some amount of light from that planetary body. Sometimes this drives me nuts: Scientists sometimes refer to the detection of 'gravitic forces' when they talk about finding objects in deep space. There is no instrument that literally measures gravity though. What they are referring to is that light telescopes show a distortion that may be due to the bending of light by intense gravity. It probably is due to that, but sometimes popular theories are incorporated into scientific language in a way that confuses those who don't understand the science. It might be neat to find a new planet in any case..... hope it 'reveals itself'!
  15. as a single man who is reading this I have to say I feel the same. I remember saying these words to a friend once: "I haven't had a serious relationship in a long time and at this point in my life I'm not even looking." Their response, assuming that I was speaking as a defeated man, was: "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll meet the right person eventually." !!!!!!! I say this truly to you now..... I'm not looking 'cause I don't want it!! As was stated above, being single can be a good and honorable thing. I'd like to pose a thought for consideration to anyone for whom this may apply: How many times have you gone to a friend's wedding with joy and love in your heart? How many times has that joy been slightly soured by the subsequent disappearance of that friend from your life for months or years afterward? How many times has a friend or loved one started a new relationship only to ignore the wonderful friends they have already? I am at times jealous of people who have this special person in their life, but for me it can be a distraction from life as much as an enhancement. I get caught up in the emotional firestorm of love, and find myself dancing on eggshells trying to be what someone else wants. I also have a habit of finding women in constant need of rescue. Those are exhausting relationships for sure! The last point, and maybe the most important, is that I have absolutely no intention of marrying anytime soon. I am not looking for ms. right because once we get all cute and cuddly with each other there is nowhere to go from there. Someday, when I'm ready to settle down, I may resume the search. Until then I'll turn to God when I am lonely and He wil comfort me. P.S. Hope you like my rants. I can get a really good one going sometimes. This is nothing.
×
×
  • Create New...