Matt712

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

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.

How crazy is that? Only Christians can oppress? Glad they backed down..... that's shaky ground to be standing on. Thanks nebula!

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.

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.

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.

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......

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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'!

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.

I've never considered myself a missionary before, but that is close to the very heart of Christianity. Let me describe my situation. I live with my parents right now because I have not got the financial means to live independently here on Long Island. I do not resent having to live with them(much) because they've always been good to me and mostly leave me alone when I need to figure things out on my own. My father still reminds me to practice my Cello(i'm 29!) but that's a parent for you. My issue arises around the fact that they are not, and never have been, Christian. My mother's mother was catholic and my father's parents were protestant, but they were both science majors in college and give more credence to what they can see/feel/touch/observe. My mother eventually settled into practicing law so she is not someone who I have ever possessed the capacity to debate effectively with. She has years of courtroom experience and is more educated than I am; She is also at least as intelligent as me or more so(a very smart, capable woman!). My sister comes over all the time with her son, to the point where they half live here, and she is not Christian either. Since becoming Christian about a year ago I have felt a separation from my family on the level of our most fundamental beliefs. I no longer put science in God's place, but rather in his realm. It is difficult to talk to people who possess a lot of intelligence and a different point of view. It is doubly difficult when they are involved with many aspects of your daily life. I live closely with my family members and want them to at least understand where my heart lies, even if they have no interest in finding God and faith in Christ. I can live by example, and try to do so, but I am certain that they will not perceive the true glory of God simply because I have found Him. I do not want to be to overt with my views on faith because I have to live with these people every day. I do not have the option of moving out, so if I offend or annoy them I will have to live with the consequences which could impact my home life. I respect their right to have an opinion, but sometimes I worry about whether I am doing them a service by respecting that opinion. There's more to this story, but I'll wait to hear responses and questions before I try to describe my whole living situation. I welcome feedback, questions and prayers from anyone who wishes to comment.

Sounds to me like this would be a better deal. Simply separate myself from God and fall back into a life of disobedience. I wouldn't have to worry about any repercussions because we're still married. People often say this regarding the idea of eternal salvation...e.g. that one can just get saved, then go back to doing anything you want because you have free entry to Eternity with the Righteous....in truth it doesn't work this way, and someone who is born again and thinks like this very soon discovers the consequence of losing 'assurance'. But I believe there is another aspect that is seldom taught, and that is when Believers that have walked through their faith on 'cruise control' and have followed the flesh rather than be led by the Spirit, come to the place of Judgment, where their works undergo the Holy Fire and virtually everything goes up in flames...nothing beautiful is evidenced...nothing that shows the extent of what the blood of Jesus has done for them.... I don't think that the judgment time of our works before the L-rd is going to be something to look forward to if a Believer has deliberately disdained the precious gift of salvation....that is why Jesus, Paul and the Apostles so urge the brethren to produce Holy Ghost fruit with their redeemed lives....we need to, 'work out our salvation with fear and trembling'. Hebrews 6:11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

I've always thought that the government COULD do a better job of managing healthcare. I think the real issue behind everything they do is 'love of money'. Their efforts to save money at the expense of peoples health(especially the elderly and mentally ill) backfires when those people need emergency care for ailments that could have been prevented or treated. There was a whole thing in NY for a while about medicaid not wanting to pay for women's mammograms more than once every 3 years, unless they had already had cancer. How much does it cost to treat metastatic cancer versus screening it and treating it when it's the size of a pea? Their priorities are not on the well-being of the people they serve. That, however, is the problem with almost every government and world leader today. I guess all I can do is pray that someone who truly cares for others, rather than wealth and power, comes into a position to create positive change. On a brighter note, my health is better now than it was even a year ago. Applying Christian values to my lifestyle has made me better emotionally, physically and spiritually.

WHEN I AM ALONE........ ...I feel isolated and friendless. ...I am afraid of the unknown. ...I go over and over my many past mistakes, wishing I could change them. ...I get angry and frustrated because no one is there to support me. ...I think of reasons I deserve to be alone and tell myself I want to be alone. ...I say to myself 'no one really understands me'. ...I think that something is wrong with me; That other people don't want me. WHEN I AM STRUGGLING....... ...I am quicker to anger; I think less before I speak. ...I lose my objectivity and good judgement. ...Every new opportunity is a frightening burden. ...Every choice is agonizing. ...I feel isolated and friendless; Alone in a crowd. ...I think no one else is having as hard a time as I am. ...I compare my suffering to others. ...I lose faith as the hard times drag on, and on, and on. The list of inner aches and pains goes on and on when we face fear and depression. 'Life can get you down' is a very true statement. This life and this world may seem like the enemy, but the enemy of happiness actually resides within us. The things we focus on intently have a tendency to grow in size and power. When we lavish attention on our sorrows they grow. It's not like anyone really wants to sit around feeling sorry for themself though. The reason that I focus so much attention on my trials and tribulations is that I'm trying to find a solution!! The reason I feel worse and worse is that I can't solve them, so I focus on them day and night!! There comes a time, when the battle has been lost, to retreat. There comes a time, when the war is over, to surrender. The world that we live in is a fearsome devourer of hearts, minds and souls. If we try to fight a war against it to the bitter end we will be defeated and pressed into slavery, to serve the rest of our lives without hope of rescue. But there is definitely hope for us! If you are alone and struggling against impossible odds, who would you like to have on your side? I myself would call on the greatest hero I can find, but having nothing of value to pay them with, I need someone who'll work for free. Someone to fight the good fight without asking for anything that I cannot give. Someone who doesn't expect payment in advance, but wins the battle and the war before he asks anything of me. God sent Christ for this very purpose. We are beset on all sides by sorrow and fear. We are all alone and struggling through life, even when we are surrounded by peers. Christ already payed our price for us, then took up his cross and sacrificed himself heroically to win the war for us. He rescued more than my soul, he rescued my cold and jaded heart from a joyless life. In times of trouble, turn to your greatest ally and surrender to Him before your enemy has a chance to claim victory over you! When you do that, God will be with you and He will bless you.

There is a privately run walk-in clinic in my town that does better than this without charging those high prices or making anyone wait excessively long periods of time(30min would be average). The doctors do a good job with the general practitioner brand of medicine, which is still kind of get em' in and get em' out, and they are mostly very nice. They'll give you the time and explanation you need if you ask questions. They charge about $70(without insurance) a visit and only charge more than that to do lab work. They even take most kinds of insurance. I pray that you can find a place like that near you. It's been a godsend for me because I lost my private health care four years ago. I decided to apply for medicaid this year and it is awful. I had a fever with pain in my side this past autumn and I called 'my doctor' who I had never seen before because they were assigned by medicaid. I told them that I did not know exactly where the pain was located, but it felt deep, like in my kidney or something. They told me their first available appointment was in THREE WEEKS!!! I told them that I was likely to be in the ER before then and they said "we might be able to squeeze you in on friday afternoon."! It was monday morning when I made this call by the way. I went to the walk-in clinic and half an hour later, after paying out of pocket, I walked out with the following: 1. I was informed that yes, there was a local bacterial infection somewhere in my body. It could be diverticulitis or a kidney infection but either way my white blood cell count was quite high and I needed an antibiotic. 2. A prescription for two antibiotics was given to me. 3. I got the number of a specialist who accepts medicaid and a referral in case the symptoms did not alleviate quickly. If I had not had a little money to go to a private clinic I would have been forced to wait while an already serious infection spread and forced me to the ER, maybe even a hospitalization! One ER visit costs as much as 20 or 30 doctor visits and hospitalization is even more expensive. Why is it that with so many people on publicly assisted healthcare they are still so wasteful! If they would pay for preventitive medicine more freely it would spare a lot of people ill health, which they then require hospitalization for at the taxpayer or hospital system's expense. Anyway, thank you for listening to my rant. I am certainly sympathetic to your doctor troubles. Most private offices are run like a 'patient mill' these days. A good doctor is very hard to find!

I do not tithe to be righteous or to buy grace in some fashion. Neither do I tithe because I care if anyone knows that I tithe or not. I also don't think that anyone should feel obligated to tithe. I tithe because I love my church, and I tithe a little more recently because the church offerings have dropped lately due to the economy. I do not want to see my beloved congregation lose their meeting place when we have all been such a blessing to each other and our community. For me it is purely a practical consideration. The least I can do for the church that showed me the way to salvation is to give whatever I can, especially in rough times. With that said I would like to bring up another practical point. If I were to come into a very large sum of money I would not tithe even ten percent. The reason for this is that the whole congregation needs to support their church, and a church flooded with a very large excess of money might be more inclined to be wasteful and lose it's way. I do wish I had the money to ensure that our church would be free from the fear of debt at the end of this year though.

Arresting both of them would probably make the situation much more volatile, but I am not going to launch into a long explanation about that because it is unlikely to happen. I don't like to give advice on matters that could place someone in physical danger, so I'll instead present a way to pray/think/feel/pray through the whole situation. 1. Pray- Ask God to be with you in the process of making a decision on how to proceed. 2. Think- What is your role in her life? Identify what position you fill in her life and what position she fills in your life. I am not suggesting that you are any more than co-workers in terms of relationship to one another, but on a spiritual level she is in your life for a purpose. On a psychological level it is easy to get confused by our desire to help; We can forget the potential consequences of good intentions. 3. Feel- Extend your inner sense of self and test your motivations. No matter how altruistic we try to be there is always the chance of falling into the 'hero' trap. Jesus saves lives and souls, we are only channels of God's will. Make certain that there is nothing in your heart but an earnest desire to help her through her suffering. 4. Pray- The most essential step is to pray again for God to guide you, through the feelings in your heart, to do what is best for all concerned. Release any opinions, emotions, desires, etc. (tough to do, I know) and let Him be the one to make the decision. I pray that you can be of service to her and keep yourself safe at the same time. It is possible that she needs to reach an absolute breaking point in her life before she will take steps to change the situation for the better. He will be in her life as long as she allows him to be! My prayers are with you and with her and her children.

'Let him become a fool, that he may be wise.' Many philosophies the world over have stated this idea. So much so that even were I not a christian I would have to consider this counsel. The simple fact of the matter is that all my intelligence has netted me a small amount of wisdom and a great amount of suffering. The debits are more than the credits in some regards. Those whose minds remain simple can often focus longer on a goal than those who consider themselves great thinkers and philosophers, who are always changing their mind about the best way to live.

Wow! Great story!! I really never thought about it that way before. I (metaphorically speaking) have a whole lot of uneaten donuts.......

I'm so glad I posted these thoughts instead of keeping them to myself. I think too much as a rule, and it gets in the way sometimes. When I express those thoughts though, I often get wonderfully helpful feedback. In this case I feel that my sense of fellowship with the people on this forum has grown. Though the Christ we know through scripture is most important, it is helpful for me to know that he had real humanity and I too like to just imagine meeting him face to face.