BrandonL

I'd answer your question, but you have to pay first And no, money doesn't solve everything, although it probably makes some things a little easier.

Figures Colleen would know where the story is.... I have a sneaking suspicion her house is going to be awfully crowded soon....

What is this "outside" you speak of?

There are 3 Biblical types of relationships between men and women. Mother and son/father and daughter, brother and sister, and man and wife. The relationship between men and women who are not related by blood can still be classified as brother and sister. Obviously, you can't simply live your entire life without having relationships of members of the opposite sex aside from your wife, sisters, and mother. There is Biblical ground here, but as a few people have pointed out, the dangers are inherent and you must be careful that your sisters don't become something other than your sisters.

Can my fiancee and I apply for this retroactively? She's twenty-three so that's like $8,500 that we could use on our honeymoon lol.

Ditto here, but I keep having to replay "Jesus Messiah," "I Will Rise," and "Praise the Father, Praise the Son" over and over lol

Yep. I am married with 3 kids (2 are grown) and totally in love with my husband as he is with me. P.S. The Song of Songs is about Israel. It is about Israel. It's also about the Church. It's also about love and relationships.

That's right. Don't forget that there is no "perfect relationship." Premarital counseling is always a good idea, but no matter how hard you work on it before hand, you're always going to go into a marriage with problems. That's just life. I've known couples that dated for many years prior to getting married, and they still struggled with the same problems as everyone else. We're all human. We're all sinners. That's all there is to it. That is why it's so important for us to have Christ as the focal point of our relationship. It's not a matter of what we should be doing according to some set of rules or principles arbitrarily drafted by God to control our lives. It's a matter of God wanting the best for us and giving us the tools to make it as easy as possible for us, if that makes any sense. The "dos" and "don'ts" are there for a real, practical purpose. They protect us and keep us where we need to be - with our eyes on Him. As far as it ruining their chances? Well that's not so black and white. Remember that God can work "all things" together for good, not just some things, not even just most things. I can tell you thousands of stories in my life of God taking my mistakes and making them His victories. God works in our lives to glorify Himself. I believe He relishes in turning our mistakes into things that He can use for His glory. Those things cause us to keep our focus on Him and His grace, for one thing. They also humble us and remind us that we are sinners in need of a savior. And that is where God wants us to always be. In the good times and the bad times, His primary concern is that we rely on Him. Beyond that, everything else is basically fluff. And it's really amazing what happens when we begin to rely on Him more. We make fewer mistakes. We sin less. We enjoy life more. That is the basic purpose of God's intent for our lives. The greater our faith and reliance upon Him, the less of us there is in the picture. The result of that is a more fulfilled, and fulfilling, life. So making mistakes or marrying the "wrong" person isn't the end of everything. Forgetting to keep Christ as the center of the relationship isn't either. We serve an amazingly merciful God who gives second chances to our second chances to our second chances. It is never too late to start a new life with Him at the center, or to renew a life that had Him at the center and then wandered away. Yes, some people are meant to be single. Although I believe that is very rare. I do know, however, that God has an express and detailed purpose for every person on this planet, and when we chase our calling, He reveals it to us beyond any doubt. If you are meant to be single, then I believe God will make that clear to you. I also believe He will give you peace with it.

Yep. It happens as long as you follow God's leading. That is what He wants for us, after all. He has chosen the perfect mate for each of us, and He is faithful to show us that person, as long we are waiting for His guidance. Even if you marry the "wrong" person, God can still make it work. It may not be as smooth and easy as it could have been, but it can still work. Again, the key is to just stay focused on Christ. When two people have a common goal, they will grow closer to that goal as they grow closer to each other. Likewise, they will also grow closer to each other as they grow closer to the goal. It's inevitable. Just follow Him!

Lol. Nope. We're still not trained to take care of rattlesnakes... although you could make the argument that we are. I mean, in the military anyways. We do have to maintain our proficiency with the M-16 after all

The real question here is how long is it gonna be before the soldiers get bored and decide to see who can handle the eat the most hand grenades?

This was pretty remarkable. I'm stationed about 70 miles west-north-west of Baghdad and actually had that same snow fall on our base. When it first started, it had been raining, and everything was wet. We didn't expect any of it to stick, but by morning, there was about an inch on the ground. Very cool

Link didn't work for me I googled and came up with this... is it the same picture? http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/northpole.asp

I'm way to ADD to read all that, but I skimmed it and liked all I saw. Admittedly, I'm kinda shocked to see a positive post about America, though, and wonder how long it will be before someone jumps in the thread to bash the States again. (I give it 12 posts before that happens so prove me wrong )

For once in my life, I'm jealous of a taxi cab driver lol