Bawcash

I always thought that we are really just in a dream of a "supreme being" all of our history, our realities are just part of his dream. When he wakes up, we will cease to exist. He could be sleeping for thousands of years, or our complete human existence could only be seconds long.

In my humble opinion, maybe you would have better participation if you kept your OPs simpler instead of a cut and paste fest. Remember K.I.S.S. Just sayin'

Very well stated. I know people who have what I would call the gift of generosity. Just a truly generous heart. Even though I personally haven't spent much money towards sports in my lifetime, I definitely could be more generous to the needy. Thank you for making me think.

So with that line of thinking. What does God aprove of us spending money on? What would be the max we could spend on a shirt, a pair of pants and shoes before it is excess? Food? If we are eating anything more than rice and beans we are wasting God's money.

What you mean "We" Ke-mo sah-bee? I don't see that many zeros in my bank account before or after living expenses.

John 1:25-27(ESV) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” Kind of obvious that he is paving the way for the true "Messiah" People will be so happy to have this circus over with that they will love the next president and the media will just paint him/her as the savior of the world. I'm thinking Clinton/Winfrey 2020. JK

ReneeIW I like the way you think.

Most people I know who claim to be agnostics say they believe there probably is a "God" but when can't really know him personally. Hence the term agnostic A=No, Gnostic= knowledge or unknowable

I know that some will say this is just something men say as an excuse to get sex but regular ejaculations contribute to prostate health. Look at #4 http://drtague.com/prostate-health-10-strategies-lower-risk-risk-love/ This isn't the only research out there that states this either and it makes sense. Any guy will tell you about the discomfort after a week or so of build up. Once again it really seems to come down to your heart. Everything in moderation. Some things become a problem quicker, like heroin but it was used as medicine at one time, in some place it still is. Buy a lottery ticket, that's gambling, but you probably aren't going to loose the farm. You are a single person and you self gratify yourself a few times a month just to take the edge off. So you don't burn as Paul put it. I don't think that makes you serial rapist. Just normal.

So it is the fantasizing that is wrong and not the act. So if you are married and you fantasize about your spouse or if you are single it could be a generic person who is your future spouse. Not all couple are on the same page sexually. Maybe medical reasons one is unable to have sex while the other is at his or her peak. Better to solo than cheat or grow resentful. If you are single and you still have the desires a normal healthy human has, Paul says to marry rather than burn. Well marriage isn't an option for a lot of people, and getting married just so you can have sex... not a good idea. So taking things into your own hands is most likely the best option. You can still say but self control, self control, self control. Self control means things don't get out of hand and start to interfere with your life and your relationship with God. You can eat donuts, it isn't a sin, but if it gets out of control and that is all you want to eat, then you have an issue that needs to be addressed and self control needs to come into play. Oh and what is a milkman?

I grew up in a culture where is was looked at as a sin. But as an adult I don't really think so. I have heard that because of what Onan did in Genesis 3:9-10 and God killed him for it makes it a sin. It's kind of obvious that God wasn't happy with his attitude and it wasn't so much what he did.

I hear ya. When I was in my teens there is no way I would be able to teach a class. When I was in my twenties I tried and failed miserably and said I would never do it again. A short time later I assisted with teaching a SS class and eventually was able to fill in if needed. Now I can teach a class and speak in front of people with no problems. It has not only helped me to serve in the church, it has helped me with opportunities in the workforce. Jumping in with both feet is really hard and not for everyone. I say ease yourself into it and it will only benefit you down the road. Good luck.

The YouVersion Bible app has tons of devotionals. You both can join and friend each other and do devotionals together. Plenty of plans for new Christians, millennials, men, etc. Wherever you see the need for him to be fed. Definitely worth checking out.

Interesting. This warrants deeper investigation. Thank you.

Ken Ham and AIG have a pretty good argument against evolution, but their young earth arguments are week and ever changing. T-Rex blood found in fossilized bones!...oh wait that wasn't right. Ica stones prove that man and dinosaurs lived at the same time!...Oh wait they were a hoax. Well, I still believe all of creation is only 6000 years old... uh... The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it! I pretty much stopped taking AIG seriously at that point. I am pretty sure that Sir Isaac Newton was intelligent enough that if he had access to todays telescopes and an extra 300 years of discoveries to build on, he would not ignore the obvious and at the same time still believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God. He would most likely be an old earther.

Possible. But not very fun. People want to enjoy life. That is how God made us. Lighten up Francis.

WOW!....just......wow. Let me guess. Home schooled?

It doesn't and neither does the Bible.

Or maybe they are just trying to explain the universe and in doing so they are verifying what we have been saying all along. I read an article years ago and I wish I could find it but can't. It was a secular article describing what the formation of the earth would have "looked" like. And without taking the Bible into consideration at all what they came up with was exactly how it is described in Genesis. Even how there was light and plants before the Sun. That the atmosphere was too thick to see the sun but let enough light in for plants to grow, then once plants were established they cleared the air, and the Sun moon and stars were now visible. So, instead of saying they are trying to take God out of creation why not see that they are proving the Bible is true. Too bad that somewhere along the way Christians regarded science as a form of witchcraft and EVERYTHING that science says that isn't quoted directly from the Bible is evil and a plan to prove there is no God.

So I finally started watching Stranger Things. The science teacher explains string theory and the multiverse as an acrobat and a flea on a tightrope. The acrobat is able to move across the top of the rope only. But the flea can walk on top, the sides and the bottom. The acrobat only knows his side of the rope even though all of the side affect the others. Anyone else see that string theory is pretty much explaining what Christians believe as far as God and the spiritual world? So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Well I finished the series. That was a one time theme in an episode and it went back to the regular plot.

How about this? "Brew for Jesus: A Beer-Based Bible Study" https://www.amazon.com/Brew-Jesus-Beer-Based-Bible-Study/dp/1981292357

Don't get cocky in tiger country!

And stuffing a double whopper with cheese in your face with your other hand. ?

The original post says that there was a look of judgment coming from and elderly couple in a predominantly southern Baptist area. So: Would combining the Jesus shirt with driving a 75,000 dollar car also give an appearance of evil?  Would wearing the Jesus shirt while weighing 350 pounds also give an appearance of evil? Maybe, maybe not from an elderly Southern Baptist couple. But from a nonbeliever who sees Christians as hypocrites? Probably. They might see the rich Christian as preacher taking advantage of people. Or the 350 pounder as someone who criticizes a person for drinking beer or not going to church as they are two fisting Double Whoppers and a diet Coke. The elderly SB couple... who cares what they think. Worry about what the unreached people think because alienating them over something like beer, does more harm than good. Apparently when wearing a Jesus shirt you are a target from all sides so "...sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man who asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear."