ReneeIW

This statement worries me because it assumes that no one makes a decision based on principal. We don’t know what was in his heart. Also, it ignores politics. Usually senators have to vote in a way that pleases their constituents if they want to be re-elected. They represent others, not just themselves. I’m guessing he considered the people who elected him to the Senate when making his decision.

Yes. I think the Bible refers to all Christians as saints. Romans 1:7 King James Version (KJV) 7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanks to you (and everyone else) for your thoughtful input.❤️

Hi BeauJangles, I’m sorry this betrayal happened to you. So very sad how some don’t take their vows seriously, don’t think twice about hurting others and never feel any remorse. I hope you were able to fully heal from what you went through with her.

Would you leave your spouse for having an emotional affair that included inappropriate text exchanges? If both you and your wife are Christians and you found out she had a three month emotional affair with a man, would you leave her? The back story is that the wife had been telling her husband for years that she felt neglected in the marriage.She had not been out on a date in over ten years and had even went to a restaurant and asked her husband to meet her there in an attempt to force him to have a dinner date with her, but he never showed up. His excuse was that he was tired from working. Didn’t apologize that he left her sitting in a restaurant alone. Meanwhile he met weekly with male friends for lunch and Bible Study and would meet up with old high school friends(male) who traveled into town. His physical needs were also being met whenever he initiated intimacy, and he claimed to be very happy in the marriage. The emotional affair started because the wife was in a professional relationship with a much older Christian man and confided in him about her marital problems. The man said he would counsel her, but they ended up in an emotional affair and even exchanged some inappropriate texts over a four day period when the man traveled to her town. The wife confessed to her pastor and ended the relationship days after the text exchanges. The husband was hurt, said if he had done the same thing she would have left him. He still has not taken her out on a date, says she’s lucky he is still around. She is wracked with guilt but feels he helped to make their marriage vulnerable by neglecting her. Is the wife an adulterer and does the man have the right to divorce her? Any sympathy for the wife? Is the older man she had an emotional relationship with to blame at all for taking advantage of the situation?

Sonshine, I don’t know how you survived losing three children. I simply cannot wrap my head around that. And to not lose faith but to cling to it even more is what every Christian hopes they will do in extraordinarily painful times like that, but sadly, some of us do not. I read Jill Biden’s book(Joe Biden’s wife) and she’d had strong faith since childhood even though her parents were not people of faith. She went to church and encouraged her sisters to go with her. Decades later when her son(he was her stepson but she doesn’t call him that) died of brain cancer she said she couldn’t pray or read the Bible for two years and is still struggling with faith and praying that it returns one day. You are really blessed with strong faith. It’s an encouragement and inspiration and I hope mine will grow to become like yours. I’m sorry you had to go through all the pain that you went through. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like. I know you must look forward to seeing your three babies in heaven some day.

Solution to what? There are times when my daughter comes home and goes straight to her room and when I don’t hear from her for a few hours, I go check on her and find out she’s hurting for whatever reason and I comfort her even though she did “nothing” to receive help from me. I’m a flawed human being and I’m there for my children whether they do something or not. How much more is our Father there for us? Sometimes we are incapable of doing anything, but other saints are always praying for us, angels are ministering to us, Christ is leaving the other sheep to come find us, and the Father promises never to leave us or forsake us.

In my experience God’s Grace is the remedy. Sometimes people are in too much pain to read and pray.That’s when you really experience God’s Grace. Or witnessing extreme and senseless suffering can cause a hardened heart ,such as spending time in a Children’s hospital. The greatest gift to my faith was when I was in a Children’s Hospital and was told my son had a terminal lung disorder and would be gone in four years. I didn’t even pray and even questioned God’s existence because I was witnessing so much suffering. Next to my hospital room was a baby hooked up to a machine struggling to breath and he or she was rarely visited by family. I was numb and hated life and had no faith, but suddenly my child’s prognosis changed and I left the hospital with a healthy baby, deeper faith, no fear of death anymore(because thinking your child is going to die is worse than dying yourself-I use to fear death) and more compassion, and I had done nothing to receive any of those GIFTS. God’s Grace is overwhelmingly beautiful.

I think she represents exactly who he is. Not sure why anyone is surprised his “spiritual” advisor doesn’t appear to have any spiritual wisdom. He has never acknowledged Christ, his daughter converted to Judaism for her husband, and he’s got five children by three different women and has not been faithful to any of them. He obviously has no experience in choosing good spiritual advisors.

My heart is broken for his wife. I would rather die than have to live without my daughter and husband. And his parents are still alive. Can’t imagine their pain. I was not a fan of his. He was charged with rape but was able to settle the case out of court and rebuild his reputation. I hate how powerful money is. It may seem like the wrong time to bring it up, but so many are calling him a family man today and it's just a reminder how powerful money and fame can be. I recently watched a 2018 documentary about Monica Lewinsky who is still struggling to rebuild her reputation from an affair, but a popular man can rebound from rape. Still, a horrific tragedy for all involved.

I wasn’t suggesting that the Bible reaches sin is “ok.” I was replying to your statement that I have a “list of degrees if sinfulness.” i said the Bible has a list and so does our government, which was set up by God to carry out justice. Here’s one example, but there are more: 30People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving. 31Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house. 32But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself.

I don’t. I believe the Bible does and our government.

It was just a turn off to me. Maybe because that’s what my brothers did as kids so I associated it with childlike behavior. But I didn’t look down on anyone for it. I also don’t like pretty boys or men who spend too much time on their appearance. It’s just preferences. I actually loved the nerdy guy.

I think it was drilled into our brains by the government which the Bible has said God set up for us to be subject to. This notion that all sins are the same is nowhere in Scripture. And we wonder why some struggle with our faith. If I steal out of a grocery store to feed my starving children, you really believe God sees that the same as me murdering someone for sport?

This was a deal breaker for me when I was dating. Would never have married a man who played video games and watched cartoons. It’s okay to have preferences.

Is this a segue into talking about homosexuality?

Double post

I don’t believe this at all. There’s a scripture that talks about what happens to those who did not hear the message, I believe they are judged based on how they lived according to what they knew to be right. God has mercy on them and His mercy is just, because Christ has already paid for their sin. Murder is murder and should not be compared to not witnessing to someone.

I agree. My concern is that Christians are teaching that thinking about killing someone is just as bad as killing them. Thinking about committing adultery is just as bad as doing it. Thinking about stealing is just as bad as doing it. That is dangerous to me. Yes it is all sin, but I believe it’s different because of the fruit. What I was trying to suggest was that he probably had lustful thoughts about other women his entire life , but only the act with Bathsheba was punished. We are going to have thoughts, but we control ourselves, for the sake of Christ and others. I think it’s unhealthy for a kid to believe that thinking about a mass shooting is just as bad as doing it.Or a person believing that thinking about driving drunk is just as bad as doing it. Or my 13 year old daughter to believe that thinking about having sex is just as bad as doing it etc. If she has already thought about it, and it’s the same as doing it in God’s eyes, why not just go do it if she’s already crossed the line in God’s eyes? I can see Satan all over these teachings if we are not careful. I think what Christ revealed to us was the difference between God and man. God would never think about doing evil. Ever. So just the fact that we would think about evil things, shows that all of our hearts are wicked and only God is holy.So we cannot think we are better than anyone else in that sense, because we all have wicked hearts. But I don’t think Christ was teaching that the thought and the act were the same.

I agree with this. I’m not sure about this. Is it possible Christ was speaking in hyperbole? I’m not doubting that fantasizing about adultery is not a good thing, but if it were actually adultery, then a spouse would be allowed to divorce her husband over thinking about committing adultery( if the husband admitted his thoughts), or the husband would be able to divorce his wife. No one would ever stay married. So, King David never meditated on adultery and murder before sleeping with Bathsheba and killing her husband? I’m asking because he was punished for his actions, not any thoughts or mediations I’m assuming he probably had. If it’s all the same in God’s eyes, wouldn’t the consequences be the same? Also, what about the distinction that’s made about sins that lead to death and those that do not?

I’m trying to wrap my head around this. This is a poor example but I just reread Serpcio ,about the New York City cop who refused to take money. He was in the same circumstances as everyone else. Had the same income, took the same risks, had similar personalities as his colleagues(cops share certain personality traits). But he refused to take money under any circumstances.

I agree. This particular pastor used John Wayne Gacy as an example and said we are all capable of that. He was quoting from another famous pastor who also taught that, but I can’t remember the name. I really don’t like these types of teachings. They confuse believers and non-believers and can cause us to excuse certain types of behaviors out of fear of being labeled self-righteous or judging.

I was listening to a sermon early this morning and the pastor said that we are all capable of committing the same heinous and violent acts as serial killers and others if given the right circumstances, and that only a self-righteous person believes otherwise. I’ve heard this statement many times over the years and used to believe it, but now I do not. While we are all born with a sinful nature, it takes a certain type of personality to commit certain crimes. I can say unequivocally that I would not murder thirty people and hide them in my basement as one serial killer did. All glory goes to God for keeping me from those acts, but I don’t think it’s self righteous to say I am not capable of certain acts. I’m simply acknowledging that by the grace of God, I am not capable of doing certain things.

Not sure why you're shunning the Midwest on your speaking tour. We really need some inspiration here! I was so embarrassed that Illinois made news for running out of cannabis after only one week of it being legal.

This made me laugh! I did sound kind of prideful or narcissistic or some other term I can’t think of. ? Yeah when you’re a mother and everything seems to revolve around your kids, you can have a moment where you say “Gosh Darn It, I’m going to do something for myself!” It’s funny how my daughter and husband know all about Worthy now and will ask me what Worthy thinks about a certain topic. ?