BibleStudent100

So true and well stated! I really hate the "wisdom" that is spewed in our culture: "Follow your heart" "Find your inner truth" "Be true to yourself" etc. This is all the propaganda that emanates from Satan and the view he promotes: secularism.

Missmuffet, what state are you in? You mention drought. I thought that New England states got a lot of rain this summer. In So Cal here, so I certainly am envious of those who get to enjoy the fall colors! Have fun driving around in the next few weeks!

Well, Satan controls the governments and large institutions. Sounds like that small "g" is getting bigger...

Thanks for sharing Neighbor. I will ponder what you have said. I, like many I believe, just thought NGOs were building wells in Africa or helping to spread vaccinations and medical centers in poor countries. But maybe under the guise of humanitarianism these groups are involved in activities that should be more scrutinized.

I think it would be rare for someone to be outright fired for having a believing employee who shared his faith. But certainly, one's prospects for climbing the ladder in the organization and for other types of advancement, (Overtime, etc.) would/could be curtailed. But still, we have to be willing to make sacrifices for our religious beliefs.

There is SO much to say on this topic. I am in year 24 as a public high school teacher in Southern California. I agree with the concerns of the good folks here in this forum about the state of public education and how EDI has permeated our schools. But what you SHOULD be concerned about in public education is the quality of education, when a lot of classes have students that number in the high 30s and even low 40s. Plus, discipline is lax and the laws keep changing in favor of misbehaving students. We can't suspend a student now off campus for fighting or drugs or graffitti, etc., we have to "house" this student ON campus and continue to provide him educational services. This means more resources being spent on kids who come from broken homes in many cases and who disrupt learning for other kids. Additionally, the number of kids needing special education services is skyrocketing so that if you have a child with "average" or "normal" learning potential, then that kid could be in a class with misbehaving children or with numerous SPED students and what about that child's learning needs? Why not just send your child to a Christian school where the numbers are capped at 20 per class? With a 6 to 3 conservative majority, it is only a matter of time before the US Supreme Court comes out in favor of the voucher system. When that happens, there will be mass defections of students to private schools that will pop up like spring flowers in the Rockies. Some of those schools will be top-notch and others not...

In secular parlance, "church" in the minds of most Americans means the actual building, but Bible students understand it to mean the "congregation" or the people who meet or assemble together.

Am I alone? I NEVER remember my dreams. I never have. I wonder if this is normal....

Interesting analysis; I am still processing. We do know that the custom of releasing a prisoner at the Passover every year was not based on anything in the Hebrew Scriptures, and there is no extrabiblical evidence of it as a Roman practice. It evidently was of Jewish origin, because Pilate said to the Jews: “You have a custom that I should release a man to you at the passover.”—Joh 18:39. Still, there might be some fodder for consideration here and I would like to hear from the others in the forum.

I have that problem a LOT as they get in my garage and from there, into my car engine area. Yes, they love the duct work and then you breathe in their feces and urine and this is unhealthy. So please, please send me some products that you have used. Tx

Wow--powerful testimony Neighbor. Thank you for sharing and I am sorry for the loss of your wife. You make compelling arguments that give us all pause. We are all dying regarding this life and who can add to it? Even the Bible reminds us of a normal life span: "70 years to 80 years" (Ps 90:10)

Great example of how we should not hold back in telling the message of the truth of God's kingdom despite our flaws and imperfections. In many ways, we are all "donkeys."

Amazing coincidences!

I totally agree Ms. Muffet. I become more careful about what I consume as I get older. Indeed, "man is dominating man to his injury" (Ecclesiastes 8:9).

What type of medicine was your specialty?

A LOT of the country's most beautiful land is NOT suitable for dwellings. Palos Verdes and a lot of the Eastern Seaboard. But if people keep building in hurricane prone areas and landslide prone areas, at what point do the rest of us who choose homes in "uglier" areas, but are much safer geologically and atmospherically stop helping to pay for the reconstruction of these areas?

So true Miss M! I think about this matter a lot too. Just how does this world keep on functioning despite so much disfunction? But it still does keep hobbling along. And of course, just when "I have seen it all," something else comes up in the "didn't see this coming" category! Wow--the End has to come at some point relatively soon...

You remind me of myself in my younger years. As I age, I give less and less advice as people have to change themselves. We work hard to present the beautiful truths of the Bible to others in the most palatable ways, but in the end, each individual takes a personal stand before the Lord on Judgement Day.

It is true Jayne that Trump did not do well in the debate. He wondered and floundered in his responses and was off message and he had trouble answering the questions. Yes, Harris offered no specific plans for improvement, but neither did Trump. It is not looking good for Trump to win the election. Will he accept defeat if he loses? Will there be protests on November 6? I fear unrest if the Democrats win.

Sadly these folks forgot that "no one knows the day or hour" regarding the End of the World. When these folks make these definitive predictions, then it detracts from the fact that one day the world will end! And of course, Satan, the great liar, wants people to be deceived about the long-term viability of the world in which we live. Yes, we are in End Times, we just don't know exactly when the End will come, so we have to be prepared and vigilant at all times.

Good application of a learning lesson between Olympic athletes and Bible characters. Privileges in the congregation come and go and those Christian brethren who currently enjoy whatever "prominence" now because of ability and circumstances will eventually "lose" those privileges because of advancing age, etc. In the meantime, those "lower profile" servants soldier on and provide the bulk of the army of God!

Very sorry for your loss and I can't imagine how the "blur" must have been. But then you ended with the good sense of humor comment. You sound like a great lady with a lot of inner strength. God bless!

We all remember the serious reminder: “God's day will come as a thief” —2 Peter 3:10. In other verses we are reminded to be as "watchmen"--Jeremiah 6:17. So how can we better be "watchmen"? By staying awake! But that is easier said than done. What helps me is to think about walking around as that is is more conducive to alertness than sitting down all night. Similarly, staying spiritually active (e.g. contributing to this forum) will help us as Christians to stay awake. Thus, Peter urges us to keep busy in “holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion.” (2 Peter 3:11) Such activity will help us to continue keeping close in mind the presence of the day of the Lord. Question for my esteemed colleagues here: How do you keep vigilant as watchmen?

Forcing someone to become a Christian never works as it must be a personal experience. God wants us to serve Him only if we choose to. Still, others may believe that our evangelizing activities "forces Christianity" on them and that is their interpretation. Our mission from the Bible is to "preach the good news far and wide."

Nicely stated Pat. We need timely reminders to help us appreciate the importance of placing spiritual interests higher than physical pursuits! Regarding the creation of the Labor Day celebration, it was brought to existence because of the industrial revolution that brought new machines that ran continuously, with the result that factory owners often expected their employees to work up to 16 hours every day except Sundays. In an effort to improve the lives of workers, a federation of trade and labor unions in the United States and Canada called for an eight-hour workday beginning on May 1, 1886. For the most part, employers refused to grant this, so on the first of May, thousands of workers went on strike. Many additional strikes and labor movement action was engaged over the following decades to improve our working lives. We should be eternally grateful for the sacrifices of our American ancestors so that we have the labor rights we have today, such as the 40 hour work week and over-time pay, etc. Still, corporate greed, being what it is, continues to try to work us all to excessive levels in other ways than in the factory (think, taking work home via remote work, etc.).