Matt712

Cold and uncompromising

Winter blows it's icy breath down the back of my neck

I soak in the chill like a lizard in the sun soaks warmth

It sends a thrill through me, for the cold holds no fear

I have my rock to cling to

And the light of the sun to fill me with hope

But what of darkness?

There is fear there certainly

The instinctive fear of what goes unseen

The sneaking suspicion that the very essence of inky blackness

Is worming it's way down into my being

Hunting for my soul

And I draw a shaky, rattling breath that echoes in the dark of night

Like the sound of despair....

Hollow, empty, sharp to the ear

Who can be trusted in this wilderness

That is a void and a hazard and a terrible frozen wasteland?

I know His name

I hear it night and day

In my own mind and carried to me on the lips of the faithful

Who cry out in fear and despair

And are comforted by an unseen presence

Unknowable except by His own will to reveal Himself

Jesus and Christ and Lord and King and Blessed Redeemer

And so much more; It crowds into my head

Words and thoughts and images, flashes of insight

How can a man be all alone with so much inside him!

But if I wanted to be alone I would deny Him

If I wanted to be alone I would flee deeper into shadows

And turn to hide from my eyes the light he casts.....

But it is warmer here, close to His heart

And the rock on which I stand runs deeper than the bones of the earth

Though the darkness surrounds me

It shall not claim my soul

For even as dim a spark as I

Shall shine on forever in Him

Have a Blessed day!

Matt712

Oh my, I can't take last from the birthday girl! I guess I will surrender last to you as well. But it pains me to do so........ So all i'll say is L.....

Praise to God. All the Glory to Him.

HE did and does all my essays.

HE told and tells me what to say on the university discussion boards.

HE showed me how to teach children at schools.

I humble myself in front of His presence and thanking Him for His love for me.

HE makes me strong and fearless.

I was trouble in each case of the first three sentences but each was swept away by Him, just like Jesus told us.

I pray for all of you on this board to be blessed like I am.

Amen

Amen

Glory and praise to Him!

A bit lasts as long as it lasts......

Lets look at this from a different perspective. How far does a denomination have to stray before you would consider it too far?

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

Congratulations on your lasting state of lastness...... But I am last this time!!

Is it just me or do I need to carefully check the dates on posts before I respond to one that is ancient..... The last one I responded to was months old.

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.

I have a Cello lesson in 30min so this is the last thing I am going to post..... for now.

Did you write that, Matt? It's very powerful.

Yes, it was late and I was exhausted. I have been having unusually intense dreams lately and they are so disconcerting that I'm always waking up. I wrote that to clear my head before bedtime. I always appreciate feedback. I'm going to post a couple of these a week from now on I think...... I really need a good creative outlet.

I don't like my dreams, either.

University to Change Policy Defining Religious Discrimination as Oppression by Christians

By Todd Starnes

Published February 16, 2011

FoxNews.com

The University of California at Davis has backed away from a policy that defined religious discrimination as Christians oppressing non-Christians after more than two dozen Christian students filed a formal complaint.

Read more

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

Thanks nebula!

For he that is last shall be first. And I wanna be first so I am last!

God does not answer prayers for amputees (why?)

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.

I am just interested to know about your experience when you first knew that Santa Claus was not real. How did you react, what you felt, etc?

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.

Just how old is your nephew ?

Your sister may wake up to the harm this relationship is doing to her son if you gently at some point when she is open to listening ..point out that what a child sees and hears during the early years of his or her life is often what they become when they are older... would she want her son to follow his fathers footsteps

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......

Thank you all for the advice/prayers. After 1 1/2 months of being separated she reconciled with him yesterday.

She talked to me at length this morning at work and says she truly believes he's "changed this time." Heard it many times before....call me cynical but I just don't know. I told her I wanted them to make it if at all possible and that I had been praying for them before they got back together (though I was honestly praying she would have enough sense not to go back to him lol) and I would continue to be praying. It's very tough after seeing all he's put her through to pray that the marriage will work. Forgive me if that sounds awful, but it is.

She's still cynical as well and she admitted as such. She first told me that no one had supported her decision to go back to him. I told her frankly I was bewildered at it myself and if I thought it would do any good I would give her a swift kick in the rear (I said it jokingly). She refuses to put back on her wedding band until he renews their vows and she also wants him to go to church with her. I'm proud of the fact she's seeing the need to go to church and get her life straight with God.

My thoughts on the thing? After he hung around the store all day, I still see the same guy I've known for a while.....a guy trying to act all good in front of people but something isn't "right." He teasingly accused me of sending her a vulgar photo at work (I was having issues w/ my phone-spent close to an hour on the phone w/ AT&T). The thing is that he's accused me (not to my face but it's came back through the grapevine) of sleeping w/ her before. I don't see a change from where I stand to be honest.

What to pray? God works in mysterious ways and I know He can save both of them and make them into a testimony to be proud of. On the other hand, I don't see where anything has changed and I truly figure in a month or two it will be back to what has became the norm. Do I pray for God to change them both or that God will open her eyes if he hasn't changed? Sheesh, I'd like to beat my head on a wall!!!!

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!!

The last post did not adress the chocolate situation. Please advise.

It's late and I need sleep

The midnight hour is fast approaching

And I am afraid of what I will find in the place behind my eyes

Where dark things wrestle with angels of the Lord

And peace is often shattered by dismal nightmares

Riding in through the curtain of my mind

My spirit trembles in the long still dark of night

It is not cold or warm here, but stifling

A bitter quiet seeps in my ears

There is pain, and visons of horror

Aches that come not from the body but from the soul

And I awake only to find another dream

Rescue me Lord!!

Save me with your mighty power

Extend your hand and pluck this withering soul from dreaming

Let me not sink into slumber, but rise

On a song with only one word

Ringing like the whole of creation's voice

Lift me up from the depths

Where disease of the mind hides you from my sight

Brush aside the fog like cobwebs

And let me dream a dream of the Lord!

Be Blessed Everyone! I need sleep......

I identify fully with the first part. I struggle so much with the second part about only needing Jesus by my side.

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.

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......

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.

well you cant kill MY last

Believe me, that is the last thing I want to do!

It's just the new face of the "church" today. Blurring the lines between what is right and what is wrong. Becoming more like the world in order to "reach out" to those who are "seeking." Not the Lord's Gospel, but the "churches."

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.