Carlasangels

I've been busy and haven't had a chance to "visit" lately.

I attended my 35th high school reunion this last weekend and reconnected with a lot of old friends.

It's amazing how people change in 35  years.  Some I would never have recognized, other's haven't changed a bit.

I wonder why that happens?

Anyone else gone to a high school reunion lately?

Wow gdemoss, awesome insight...

I'll pray for you and your wife, and don't forget your children, I think the children suffer the most. I'll hold them up as well.

Thanks for sharing.

I guess it depends on what you consider a miracle. To me, the definition of a miracle is something that happens that shouldn't have been able to happen, and only by the grace of God did it happen.

Like a family who's home was foreclosed on and they are able to purchase another home

or

You are totally broke and don't know what you are going to do and unexpectedly, some money arrives.

I'm talking about God Things... Things that would never have happened without God.

That's the kind of miracles I'm looking for.

The two mentioned here, are 2 of my personal miracles. God is Good, all the time. He makes sure I always have "enough".

I've absolutely seen miracles many times, but for the sake of not offending my cessationist brothers and sisters here, I'll not relate them. Let's just put it this way: God is good!

So you are saying that there are people in this forum that believe that God does not still perform miracles today? Are you talking about specifically "laying hands", "speaking in tongues" or other types of "gifts" of people performing miracles, or are you saying some believe that God does not perform miracles?

I am the daughter of THE KING, so I am a princess...

but that doesn't mean that I am not capable of taking care of my husband. (and I do)

and it certainly doesn't mean that I am the maid...

Ninhao, You should see a Christian counselor and if your wife will go as well, that would be the best. I was in an abusive marriage for 20 years. I sought councel from a Christian counselor. My husband (ex) went one time. He ended up knowing the counselor he was assigned to from work. They sat around and talked shop and in the end said he didn't have a problem. I was not with him at his session, but I'll guarantee you he did not admit to any abuse. After that, he refused to go to any counselling sessions together and the counselor that he met with was fired for having a personal interest in the case.

What my counselor told me was that God does not expect for us to live in an abusive situation. She had scripture to back it up, but I do not remember it now. Divorce was not something that I even wanted to consider, but she helped me see, in my case, that it was in my best interest (if I wanted to stay alive).

The hardest part of the whole thing was being able to really forgive him for what he had done and it took me a very long time to really forgive him. After I was able to forgive him, we even tried again for about 6 months. My mom told me that yes, we have to forgive, but we should not forget. I didn't agree with her then, but when the abuse started again, I was able to walk away, for good. I still do not believe in divorce, but I do believe that sometimes we were not actually joined by God, but that's a whole different topic.

Please seek Christian counsel. No one can tell you what to do without the details and with the details, it falls under the category of gossip. So take the part in Matthew "¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." read that as a Christian Counselor.

Hope a similar experience helps you with some decisions. I'll keep y'all in my prayers.

Last Wednesday I was at bible study. People bring food, lots of snacks, goodies etc. People just waiting to dig in! We said grace, thanked God for the food etc. Everyone went up grabbed some food, some treats etc, sat back in their seat, and we continued with the bible study. We have been following "The Bible" we watch it, comment about it, and read the given scriptures. Half way through that process a couple walks in. You can tell by their eyes and their appearance that they have not eaten in a while and came off the streets.

Thanks Jacob, what a moment that really makes you stop and say "Whoa, we take so much for granted." I will keep Marcus and his wife in my prayers. It's a difficult time all over the US and probably the world, economically. I used to carry "Blessing Bags" in my car because there are many homeless in the Houston area. It's a gallon sized ziploc with consumable items such as a bottle of water, some peanut butter crackers, a comb, toothbrush, gum, etc. I don't generally pass out money (because I don't have a lot of money) but you can buy a case of water for $2.50, where if someone on the streets had to buy one bottle of water, it would cost about $1.89.

I think a lot of people do not even realize a blessing when they see it. Who has a story about something that didn't seem to be a blessing at the time, but as they look back realize it for the blessing that it was.

Do miracles happen today ? I can guarantee they do,these are the last 2 that happened for me,there are others for me as well. Its all on how you perceive miracles. To me its something that would not happen unless God has his hand on it. Miracles are blessings,in my opinion they work together as 1. It is a blessing to receive them,and I was in a very bad way emotionaly over not wanting him to suffer and financialy with all the bills when I received these 2. God Bless

ibldcars4u, I am very touched by your story. Thanks so much for sharing it. I believe those were absolute miracles. I'm sorry for the troubles your Dad had to endure and all of the deaths you had to deal with in a fairly short period of time. I'm so glad you can see God's grace in your story.

Firstly, I have to say I have watched this video three times.

Please forgive me if perhaps I did not understand it or received the wrong message.

As far as I can see, they are saying that EVERYONE can be healed if they ( the person laying on hands/praying for them etc )

have enough faith?

Sorry but I really don't believe that at all. ..... God ALWAYS answers prayer but sometimes the answer is NO and although we may not think it is fair; that is because we have no real idea of WHY.

It reminds me of the butterfly story that a very strong Christian lady told me about.

When someone saw a butterfly struggling to emerge from the cocoon and helped the butterfly by breaking open the cocoon that was " imprisoning/hindering the butterfly's progress, they where to find that by helping ( healing ) the butterfly through its struggle; they had actually crippled the butterfly.

(The process...painful though it is... of pushing through the tiny hole also pushes the fluid out of the wing membrane and allows the butterfly to fly.)

Without that painful push through, the wings stayed saturated with fluid and the butterfly died without ever being able to soar through the sky and reach its full potential.

You see, I believe God has a plan for all of us.

No one likes pain and suffering and often we don't understand why.

Yet, that plan leads us to do things, encounter people we may never have encountered had that plan not been designed for us.

When I came out of the Royal Navy a few years later I found my self homeless, I was to wander like a tramp for thirty years.

Today, I suffer from Parkinson's and have had it now for over thirteen years.

It's a degenerative illness that most likely I will die from. (When He calls me home I know I will be ready)

Often people have asked me would I change my life if I could live it over again?

In the past few years this has happened on many an occasion.

My reply is always , NO

You see, what I have lived through has given me the chance; a possibility that many have never had.

The people that I have encountered, be it when I was on the streets and even now with my Parkinson's;

the doctors, nurses and other people with Parkinson's.

Strange as it may be; on my return to the UK, because of the fact that I had lived for so long on the road and was ex forces;

I became some sort of a novelty and was used to speak publicly to raise awareness of homeless veterans.

This opened up doors that have led me to meet royalty on several occasions;

film stars, political leaders, people that thirty years ago I could not imagine of having met.

The possibilities to witness God's love for me are endless. (From a park bench in Rome to Buckingham Palace.)

I have noticed that many preachers come across as healthy . wealthy ( we at least not lacking anything ) and comfortable in this world ... and when they then tell people with severe limitations be it in health wealth or faith that God loves them and wants only what is best for them you can hear the murmurs of " Yes but see how your ideas change if you are in my place " ...

God has put lots of us in " that place " to be a faithful witnesses and be able to witness from a position of strength because;

WE HAVE BEEN THERE ( Praise God )

Jesus suffered from tiredness and frustration and poverty and hunger and all the things that we suffer from including the worse and most painful death devised by man so that He can say " YES I HAVE BEEN THERE AND WAS STILL FAITHFUL "

So, do I believe that everyone can or even should be healed if the person trying to heal them has enough faith ????

NO NO NO NO NO ...... I believe we need enough faith to still be faithful when God asks us to bear our burdens because He has a plan for us.

God knows best!

WOW!!! NCN, you just blew my socks off!!! What a testimony. I very much agree that God is in control. We have to go through trials in this life and sometimes we never understand them, but I have noticed since I have gotten older, that I can look back on some of my trials and understand the reason, maybe not completely, but a glimpse.

Does it matter what we believe? Gods word says mracles will follow those who believe Mk 16:15-17. Among other miracles, I saw several people walk from wheel chairs at a T B Joshua crusade in Singapore, but Jesus also said mracles are not proof of salvation of the recipient or the miracle worker. Matt 7:21-23

JCISGD - of course it matters what we believe. Tell me more aobut the crusade in Singapore. I'm not looking for proof of salvation, I just want to hear some stories about miracles... <3

Well yes, of course I do. I can't think of anything that would be like parting the Red Sea, or Jesus walking on water, but I've had many minor miracles in my life. The most recent was last year when the Sandy storm hit. I live on a small island and we were covered by 4 to 5 feet of water. I live in a small apt building. When the water started coming in I walked into it and pushed the door closed. I then held it closed while another brave man nailed a board across it. The miracle part is that I'm a 60 year old man and not in good shape or good health. God had to have given me the strength to do that because I'm just not that strong anymore. So I call these things "minor miracles".

I'm sure major miracles happen too. If one is needed, God will do it.

That's awesome... Thanks for sharing. I don't think any miracles are minor...

Yes, I do believe God intervenes miraculously in our lives...I guess what we call a miracle...sometimes you can put your finger on it and say 'There it is! It happened just like that!"

and other times, most of the time, we see a progression and may not call it a miracle. God creates and things move along the way He has told them to...so it seems things are

happening without intervention..but if we look and see and ask God to open our eyes, we will see His hand in so many ways we will begin to understand that

in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' Act 17:28

In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Job 12:10

I do have stories of 'miracles'...personal ones...which is why I believe that miracles do happen...if I think of one I want to share, I'll write it down...

I would love to hear your stories, please do add them to this thread...

Yes miracles still happen today. (I know you probably expect healing testimonies )

The biggest miracle to happen in the last 65 years has been the re-emergence of Israel.

We often talk about the miraculous exodus of the children of Israel under the leadership of Moses

but the Bible expressly talks about this being overshadowed in the last days by an even greater

exodus from the four corners of the earth.

Verse provided if needed.

Amen Botz and good to see you! Have not seen you around in a very long time!

Carlasangels

You may be interested in a few forums

1)

2) http://www.worthychr...32-testimonies/

In particular to the "variables," I think Omegaman did a great job on it, so please see here: page__st__20#entry1934432

Hope you find some interest in these!

As for me personally, my family being brought together in the name of God is a huge testament to the greatness of God and the power of prayer. (I did write about it in the Testimony forum)

Thank you Jacob, I'll check those out.

3. Love God more than you love each other

Why?

I would venture to suggest that you should love your wife/husband as much as God loves you.

​Perfect balance is thus achieved (or at least aimed for)

True you should love your spouse as much as God loves you, but you should also hold God above all else, right? Wouldn't that kinda mean that you love God more?

Awesome list. My husband and I went to a MarriageToday Conference last month and to add to this list, we are adding a "Vision Retreat". This is where the two of you go alone to a getaway for a few days and the focus of the retreat is to actually discuss your vision in each of the areas you mentioned and write down your vision for the next year. Then the next year, you take another "Vision Retreat", see how you did with your goals and set new ones. We have our vision retreat scheduled in April, and we are very excited about it.

Our church is doing a "Love and Respect" conference. Also "Weekend to Remember" is really good.

We also did a "Fireproof" Bible study and renewed our vows a couple of years back.

Have you heard of any of these?

The one we did was called Lifelong Love Affair by MarriageToday. It's the only one I've ever heard of, we did the renew the vows thing too. It was really cool. Learned a lot. Can't wait for our Vision Retreat. That will be a first for us too.

Yes miracles still happen today. (I know you probably expect healing testimonies )

The biggest miracle to happen in the last 65 years has been the re-emergence of Israel.

We often talk about the miraculous exodus of the children of Israel under the leadership of Moses

but the Bible expressly talks about this being overshadowed in the last days by an even greater

exodus from the four corners of the earth.

Verse provided if needed.

Thank you Botz, No, I wasn't looking for healing miracles, although those are great too. Just wanted to get a feel for the community and what variables may come into a conversation about miracles. This one is a great one. Please provide the scripture....

I would love to hear some good, true miracle stories.

Hope this will be an inspiring thread.

:halo: :halo:

I know "luke warm" Christians that "have everything", but are so incredibly miserable. What they are looking for, they do not realize.

Sometimes I wonder if they are truly Christians as their actions are so not...

What do you do when you come across someone like that?

The dash is the mark between the years that you were born and died.

The dash is your life on earth.

ie: 1960 - xxxx

I'll have to look up David Wilkerson now. Awesome word!!!

Wonderful resource. Thanks for sharing.

My best friend is my husband, but for girl friends, I have a few life long friends. These are the people that know absolutely everything about you since you were a child and are still your friends. Girls that I don't necessarily talk to very often, but when we do, it's like no time has passed. We catch up with the daily dramas, but we talk alot about the old days too. I know if I ever need them, they will be there for me and vice versa. For example, one girl friend from high school and I had kept in touch over the years, Christmas cards, occasional phone calls. She lived out of town for a while, but even when she moved back, our actual visit time was limited. We had decided to go on a retreat together through my church. I was going through some tough times and she wanted to go with me. Her husband didn't want her to go, so she didn't go. I got back on Sunday morning. Sunday evening, she called me from an ambulance and said her son had been in an accident, and to please pray. I got in the car and headed for the hospital. He died before I got there. I then called another mutual friend from college and told her what had happened and told her I needed her. Hadn't talked to her in years, but there she was, for both of us. Those are best friends!!!

Awesome list. My husband and I went to a MarriageToday Conference last month and to add to this list, we are adding a "Vision Retreat". This is where the two of you go alone to a getaway for a few days and the focus of the retreat is to actually discuss your vision in each of the areas you mentioned and write down your vision for the next year. Then the next year, you take another "Vision Retreat", see how you did with your goals and set new ones. We have our vision retreat scheduled in April, and we are very excited about it.

I love lavender.