seabrook

Didn't Colin Powell do the same thing when he was Secretary of State? I am not sure but seems in the beginning of this email debacle I recall reading that. If so, I doubt whether their was any malicious intent on his part. Was he trustworthy?

Happy Anniversary to them and may they continue with the help of God's strength and grace for many more years. We have been married 54 (July, 1961) and we rely on the Lord's provision, grace, and strength more and more each day.

As others here have said..be sure to pray for them. If they are away from God it could be a temporary thing in order to fit in with others. If they hold a strong influence on you yet you will likely have to consider finding new friends. Expect the Lord to give you new encounters.

You need totalk to a Catholic priest or someone who does the marriage preparing in the Catholic Church. There you will find out that your mom's view on what Catholicism and what Protestantism are is really off. The Catholic Church does not teach that Protestants are going to hell. But, most of all, you need to search your own heart and conscience to determine whether this marriage is right for you. Are you sure that there are not other reasons why it may not work out.? And, perhaps you need to talk to a Protestant minister with your boyfriend as well. Either one will likely be helpful to both of you at this time in your decision making. It is sad about your mom's marriage situation and all to often happens when there are big differences in faith. Good idea to make up your mind which way you want to go and make sure you partner in Christian marriage. which is a commitment and covenant beyond the partnership you share now. The Christian view is that you do not enter into this lightly but consider it as a lifetime commitment regardless of how the present "easy" divorce culture considers it.

This is good because it would be all too easy to take this passage out of context and interpret it to mean that we don't need authority over us, fellowship, church community, or to even be studying the Word as long as we have the 'anointing'. Many actually do to the point of thinking that "church" is not necessary. Without the guidance and support of others we may not even really know what the anointing is and what it is for. I appreciate that someone has pointed out the audience Paul was addressing at that time as they were in a situation where others were trying to lead them into falsehood and he was encouraging them to know that what they had learned was real and not counterfeit as the opposition they were facing was not real and was counterfeit. Also the bible always needs to be seen in the light of other verses as well. So we remember things like..."Keep Holy the Lord's Day" and also "Do not forsake the gathering, etc." Otherwise we can take just about anything we want out of the scriptures, blow that up by ignoring other parts of scripture, and use it to justify our actions. However, that doesn't mean we don't trust God and the Spirit within us either. We just do it with the confirmation of other scriptures in the bible and the supportive confirmation of the Holy Spirit who is also working in others who have the anointing. If not, there would not be obedience to authority and there would be much division and anarchy in the church. And, of course, we need to learn that praying for discernment regarding what we read is always essential.

The Kingdom, to me, is to come and also is here as is "within". I am recalling the prayer of Jesus.."Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come..." And the words of Jesus: "The kingdom of God is within you."

It really depends on the person and how they receive, learn, and apply. Growth is individual and may involve healing, enrichment, and differences in time. God is a creative God and knows what is just right for us. Check out the first 7 lines of Psalm 139... You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. 5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence

And that is what really matters..not so much which version.

Besides praying for you I can assure you we have all been in lonely places as you describe. But I do ask the Lord to free you from depression and self-pity as that will just make things worse. People most often are not drawn to those who don't show a marked interest in them. That is just the way it goes. You need to pray and ask the Lord to enable you to see the bigger picture and, believe me, He will do that. You can come out of this and flourish. But relationships don't come like the wind blows. They need work and nourishing. Trust God to begin connections as you pray. And take them slow and easy. The enemy of your soul would like to trip you up by connecting you with those who will not be good examples to you..whether Christians or not. Stay involved in your groups. Don't give up.

Yes, I am also leaning on the Lord. Have learned what that means more than ever these past few months as am recovering from a fractured vertebrae and bruised ribs injury. Trusting in His Care and guidance as to further medical tests to root out causes. I am in good hands. His. And I am thankful.

Before all of her bad press I would have said Clinton for the democratic ticket. But Trump is now riding on his wit, sarcasm, and money. He reflects the negativism that many feel. Not a qualification for presidential office. Will see how it goes in time; but hoping the Republicans can come up with someone better. Polls change like the wind and so does public opinion. I am reserving mine to a later date. And praying it all comes out in the wash.

No, I wouldn't be personally offended because I haven't used my KJV in years although I often say scriptures memorized from that version. Like others here I would surely ask them why not the KJV as a donation. ?????

That is interesting. Perhaps she feels convicted and wants to make up for her past behavior. Besides it is usually different when people live together than apart and just visit or the best yet..could she be turning over a new leaf because of your praying for her? Whatever, sounds like a bit of a shift in her attitude going on.

I don't see anything in scriptures to convince me that there are times when they do see us from heaven or whether they do not see us from heaven. I have heard stories of loved ones appearing just at the time of someone's death because the dying one sees them. So possibly sometimes but not often. I am believing that they know when it's time for us to arrive and so meet us but no idea how that would work. I want to believe that when I finish the race there will be many cheering me across that finish line. However, that could easily be on the other side. It's not finished until I cross the line. That I believe. Good question..gives us food for thought. Thanks for sharing it.

We are to love one another as Christ loves us. It is much more than being our brother's keeper in the sense of the story of Cain and Abel; but the biblical account of Cain's sin does speak a warning to all that may fall into the same trap of jealously and envy Cain did and then blame and kill or do violence of any kind. It might not mean actual murder but killing the Spirit, heart, and soul by things like abuse, degradation, and anything of malice and evil intent.

One of the good things about having pets is that it is often a common ground which brings links between people. Another is that their behavior does teach us something. And it is a way to show care and love to God's creatures. Detachment and priorities need to be set. For one thing, all living things eventually die, and we more than not outlive our pets. So we need to keep that in mind and be able to let go when the time comes. Also, an animal should not take priority over another family member as far as love and attention goes. Pets are also God's creatures and are meant to be blessings. Worshipping them and not the creator (as the ancient Egyptians often worshipped cats) is surely idolatry. Loving and caring for a pet is not.

Facebook provides ways to have security and limits to what you see there. You have to limit who can post there. If you have friends who are posting negative things which you don't want to see..put them in the restricted category and then don't read their posts. You can also limit who can see yours. Facebook has been a good communication and witnessing tool for me. Despite some bad things because I do use the privacy limitations I find it is very worthwhile and a way in which I can communicate with many church friends as well as my family and extended family. I especially enjoy viewing the extended family photos. It is, as others have said here, simply what you make it.

Spoken with love...the truth is golden! Spoken without love...it is destructive.

I too get pretty tired of the ones on facebook who constantly post selfies or keep changing their profile pictures. Yes, It is the "me" generation more than the "we" generation.

Yes, have seen this happen but never heard the term "Baptism of Love" used before. Thank you for sharing their experiences. Praise God who heals and truly brings us to our knees. His love and our loving gratitude..makes us humble before Him.

"He has shown you, O Mortal, what is good and what does the Lord require of you; to act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8...(NIV) I believe... Humility means acting justly and loving mercy..this is what is good and to do this means walking humbly with your God.

Beautiful testimony to what the Lord is doing in you....thanks for sharing.

It took me years to learn to distance a family member who was very spiteful and did slander, not just me, but any and all she thought had hurt her in some way even when they hadn't. I was concerned during that time that if I stood my distance she would get worse behind my back and slander me with others. But, I finally did and even had to confront her with that setting of personal boundaries. She did react for a while but most of the others had experienced the same thing with her so they saw through it better than I could ever have anticipated. I was then able to get acquainted with some and closer to others I had known for a while. Of course, I did continue to pray but had learned the hard way that I wasn't her savior or rescuer. She needs to turn to the Lord herself and get over the self-centered and victim type mentality in which she blamed others for all of her personal problems. I continue to pray for her and it has been years now; but do not for a minute regret my decision to stand ground and end the toxic relationship as it was. You are not paranoid, btw~ bless you. Seabrook

Have been through this some years back when moving to a new location. Some churches (usually larger ones) have services (even the worship part) online so you can check them out that way; but most smaller ones don't. Usually if you visit a church (which sounds like you have been doing) you can tell within up to six weeks what they are all about. It is okay to find one where you feel comfortable. Since you don't want a recommendation of any denomination I would say though..don't eliminate the possibility of a denominational church being the place for you. Having said that I would look for these things and ask myself some questions about what I see. 1. Are the people friendly? Did you get welcomed right away and did it seem genuine to you? (not someone just doing their duty at the door or handing out bulletins) Did someone take the time to chat with you before or after the service? 2. Was the sermon biblically based and did you sense encouragement from it? Is the Gospel of Jesus Christ being preached? 3. Was the worship something that raised you heart to God and something you actually enjoyed? Also, was it biblically based? 4. Are there ways to get better acquainted in this church like small groups, bible studies, home meetings, etc. 5. Does this church believe in reaching out to serve others not only within the church itself but also the community, neighborhoods, homes, etc. 6. Is family a priority? And are moral values being encouraged? 7. Is communion given to those who wish to receive and is this done on a regular basis, not necessarily every Sunday like in some mainline congregations. 8. Is God being glorified or is more emphasis on the personalities who pastor the church? 9. Are you not only comforted but challenged to change your life, grow in your relationship with God, and inspired to serve in this atmosphere? Or are you being mainly entertained? 10. Is there both a certain flexibility in the service but is it also not haywire and unplanned. Too much freedom can be chaotic. Too much restriction...legalistic and stifeling. There will be more..and it will take time, but some warning signs. Be careful of something which seems way off base to you. Generally it seems that way because it is. Also, pray daily and ask God for directions in that way your eyes could be opened whether the Holy Spirit is drawing you to this particular congregation. prayers and blessings on your journey. seabrook