Repose

Others have stated good answers here. I just feel like putting in a side note. If he is still able to be contacted, it might be best to try and maintain a fair communication. This is the child's father. Even in another country, your child will get old enough and be curious about who their dad is. The dad may even wish to keep in contact for the sake of their child. My brother had a son with an ex of his. She eventually got tired of him and, child in hand, ran off. We have tried tracking her down since, as we bear her no ill will, and wish only to see him, but with no such luck. My parents have a grandson they haven't seen in years. I have a nephew who I might never know. My brother has a son who might not even know that my brother exists. Even in keeping herself and her son hidden, she takes child support from my brother. He's paying for a child he can't see or even speak to. Basically, if your child's dad or family wishes to keep in contact, please don't deny them unless it's necessary. For the child, it's nice to know where you come from.

Good salaries, if you're lucky. Let's say a person didn't go to college, so they get a job that fits a high school diploma. Burger King. This would normally mean that they make about $10 a hour, and with luck (it never happens in fast food), it comes with 40 hours. That's $400 a week, $1600 a month. Rent for their tiny apartment with roaches is $1200. Then they have $400 for food, gas, insurance, taxes, etc. That number is far more dire if, in trying to go to college, they did not join the military in order to fund their education - thus leaving them with no diploma and no job in their field. Even with military assistance, it might not be fully paid for, nor a job in their field guaranteed. Just because there's a lot of money in the US doesn't mean people are better off, especially the working class. You basically work for chump change that's quickly sweeped out from under you. There's hardly a clean way to get rich, after all; people with money make it by stepping over other people, more oft than not. Even then, there are numerous tales of the homeless and inmates turning to God. There's a group of homeless as well, whose name I can't track down on Google, that act as traveling teachers/preachers. They are a loose organization that travel around preaching, often opting to put whatever money or goods are given to them to other homeless, and they themselves eat out of the garbage and avoid shelters, to let others get the food and beds offered.

I actually haven't ever seen Jaws. I probably should. I've only played the first RDR along with the first game in the series, Red Dead Revolver. Revolver was very linear and was made more with cheesy spaghetti westerns in mind; so no decision making, just taking revenge for your dad's murder. RDR had a similar system, with good and bad variables for Marston. I don't know if it affected the ending, as when I got to Mexico, I got bored of the story and just went hunting and gambling. Still, being good would reward the player with a more peaceful experience, where if you were bad, scores of bounty hunters and lawmen would chase you around everywhere. I put forward the idea of an Animal Crossing type game only for more sensitive types, to make it more appealing to a broader audience. Not everyone would want to be a gunslinger, or see all the other peculiar things depicted (grave robbing, brothels, etc). Your paintball game might not be a bad in-between. I'd wonder at the specifics of it, though. If the main appeal and fun of it is the paintball tournaments, how would players deal with the moral and decision-making sequences that seperate the paintball tournaments? I don't mean to rain on the parade, per say, it's just that I can imagine that being like playing an online match of Splatoon, then having to solve a Sudoku puzzle in order to get into another match.

As a forewarning, for sensitive types, this post will have a few gruesome details. Issue there would be balance. In my opinion, in a decent movie, there needs to be a good balance between what you see and what you don't see. Some things are better off shown due to the emotional impact of it (such as Passion of Christ), while at other times, it can work volumes to let things be done behind closed doors, to remain unseen until a proper time. Take horror movies for example. Older movies had less to work with, and so to often get around that, they would use alternative means, often letting things be off-camera. Such as a woman getting attacked; they would show the guy raising and stabbing with the knife, and her screaming face, but they wouldn't actually show her getting gored by it. Now you've got movies that push it forward and use chainsaws to cut a man in two. You can see it clearly; they even zoom in on it like you'll somehow miss it. If you aren't using 2 bathtub-fulls of blood in the scene and you aren't able to see the anatomical correctness of the insides, what's the point? But this is rather tasteless and lacks creativity, as now it's nothin more than a violent gore fantasy that's rather devoid of anything that actually scares the viewer. Finding a good in-between is important if you want to movie to work and flow well. In a scene from the OT, let's say it's the book of Judges and Abimmelech with the men of Shechem are going to do in his 70 brothers. It can drive the point home to show the brother being done in, but you'd have to be mindful to not let it be all about the gore, as Hollywood and it's horror movies are often not. You would need characterization to show that these brothers were indeed people. You would need to depict in such a way where it evokes sadness in the viewer, rather than catering to the violence-enjoying audience. On a side note, i've always been interested into looking at Christian video games. They have a reputation for being terrible, and it's had me wonder what a decent (aiming for "good" might be a stretch) Christian video game might be like. Most I can think of is something a bit like Animal Crossing, but with options on how to engage your neighbors, like a choice between being good or being wicked. Choosing either or affects not only how your neighbors feel about you, but also affect your character as well. Say like, helping your neighbor paint his house improves your reputation, and he might give you a gift later as a thank you. Then the other choice would be agreeing to it, but then after it's finished, you demand excessive payment for your services. Basically bully your neighbor into paying you. This damages your reputation and (rather than having the neighbor seek revenge) your "luck" goes down, making it more likely that something will go wrong that pertains to YOU, like getting sick, or your kitchen table just randomly breaks when you try to use it.

I ask you, must two people relate? Do any of us truly ever dance to the same beat in the same way? Everyone's different, even when they don't seem to be. It's just a matter of whether or not you let that bother you or not. We're social creatures. Some more and some less. I fit into the "less" category myself, but even being reclusive, I do want to talk every now and then. Nothing wrong with wanting friends. It's only wrong to want the wrong kind of friends.

Welcome. Could you perhaps try to give us a bit more detail? Why does she feel this way?

Actually, I still find them useful. There are a number of businesses with no online presence, often having no website and no Google Maps location/info. Even then, you can flip through it and find things you didn't know were near. I didn't know my town had a convent of nuns until I saw it listed in the pages.

Pray. If possible, step away for a moment and breathe a little. All work and no play can make Jack a dull boy, after all.

None of the issues that come with coworkers? Solitude? Hoho, sounds like a dream to me. What I've found rather enjoyable about being alone is time with my thoughts. Though admittedly, my thoughts are hardly ever profound or productive. Like, why do they sell you 8 buns when you can only buy 6 hotdogs? If a frog needed glasses, what would they look like? Truly, a philosopher. I need to occupy my mind with better things. That, and if you aren't speaking, you are listening and are more focused. You will often notice things you would have otherwise missed. Though, too much time with your own mind isn't good, either. It's not all sunshine and rainbows in there. I'd recommend what the others have, and suggest finding social activities to fill in the void.

Love is a two-way street. This, to me, sounds as if you would become a "crutch" of sorts. Imagine a girl with a bunch of emotional baggage and a guy offering to help her. A noble intention, to be certain, but she comes to lean on him (like a crutch) in order for her to feel better. But what of the guy? Is he able to lean on her? Is it wise to do so, considering she feels like she must lean on him? Unless they can both walk together and lean on each other, it will be an unfulfilling relationship. This is how this seems to me, but with her being a bit too green and seeing you as a mentor rather than emotional baggage. Perhaps it's more complicated than that though, I'm not sure. In this instance though, yeah, she's going to want support and to know that you still have your heart set on her. In the case of the baggage girl, I'd advise the guy let her lean a bit, but also see that she tries to stand on her own. Otherwise, she won't. A bit of distance is best. Time to let her grow in Christ, to get away from her ex, and deal a bit more with these mental health problems (if they truly are obstacles). All the while assuring her that this is for the sake of being wise and prudent, and that in spite of the situation, you still like her. Nothing wrong with spitting a poem or going for a walk together every now and then, yeah? This way, you are both able to stand, and likewise both able to lean effectively.

That's a bit difficult to answer, as the word "spouse" is used in the Bible. If a married person comes to Christ during that marriage, then there were Paul's instructions in his letters. It seems that the disagreement in this thread is if a Christian can take on an unbelieving spouse, and it either be a sin or very risky. Regardless of whether or not it is sinful to take on an unbelieving spouse, I would look at it like a bear trap. Sure, you aren't going to die, but are you silly enough to try and put your hand in it? If the spouse is going to be a detriment and a risk in many ways, do you really think it wise to just go ahead and hop into it anyway because "my feelings"? That is distictly foolish and unwise. King Solomon had great wisdom, but even with that wisdom, he sets the example of why one does not so recklessly wed unbelievers. In this scenario, despite the lack of a marriage beforehand, I would simply advise the believer to follow Paul's instructions regarding an unbelieving spouse. Dating wasn't really a custom at the time, and so whilst they are not married, it's likely the closest one can get as far as scriptural guidance in this matter. I would also advise that the believer themselves deeply consider the matter and pray to God regarding it, lest feelings blind them.

OT - Hmm... King David. Perhaps also Job, because i've been rather curious about the details of what illness(es) he ailed from. NT - John the Baptist. I'm not exactly sure why. Though, the question points to those who are in heaven. I must admit i'd be leaning a bit more towards figures that weren't very... Godly. I'd just be fascinated to see what their thought process was. In particular, Balaam, and King Saul. Balaam seemed like an alright figure at first, but then despite his curses turning into blessings and being aware of God's plan for the Israelites, he still went and stuck his foot in the dung anyway. Then King Saul is such a chaotic and confusing figure that it might be interesting to see what his personality was like. Though, i'd rather not have a spear thrown at my face, mind you. Maybe even Judas, to look into how it felt to know that he was the one to betray Jesus.

Just looked it up. There's an equation to transfer Arabic words into numbers. Apparently 786 means, "in the name of God (Allah), the compassionate and merciful". Is the 786 on the socks? Are they visible with her shoes? If they can be hidden, then socks are socks. If not, then I'd maybe see about exchanging or tossing them. Many groups use such symbols and indirect signs as a way of communicating common ground with one another. I'm not familiar with muslims doing such things, though, I've only heard of that among gangs and groups like the Klan/nazis.

Perhaps these preachers might have their own individual websites. I found one for Joel Osteen through Google. Might be able to find something there. EDIT [redacted]. I was blabbering on pointlessly, I apologize.

Brother*, lol. When I was in elementary school, the teachers would punish the class if we all acted up bad enough. We would be assigned two pages from the dictionary, and we would have to sit and write down every definition with all the details on seperate sheets of paper, and we weren't allowed to leave until it was reviewed by the teacher. Every student dreaded this, but me, I found it interesting. Having to write so much hurt my wrist, but still, the punishment wasn't very effective on me. I'd look through it once in a while, and that has continued into my adult life. Now I have an encyclopedic dictionary 1149 pages thick. I haven't read through all of it yet. Lord bless you as well.

I've never had a Setter. My parents mainly have pit mixes, but there was a black lab and two chihuahuas at other points. Pits, they require a particular care in upbringing. They're very cuddly if raised proper. The lab, I think he came from an abusive background, cause he never learned how to behave. The chihuahuas would pee and poop everywhere, and if you shifted your weight slightly, they would freak out and bark like crazy cause they thought someone was at the door.

I chose the word "Repose" as my name due to it's definitions. To be at rest (1) in the Lord, to place trust in (3) the Lord, and to be dead to sin/the world (2).

I think I'd consider that "indirect lying". I mean, what about the kid? Kid just grew up thinking that the pastor was their dad, only for that to be flipped upside down. He never said it was his, sure, but his agreement implies as much. I know of a guy who thought he got a girl knocked up. He was there for the birth. He raised her. Only for it to come out that she wasn't his daughter. He still treats her like his daughter, but that's damage to three people. The daughter, the guy, and her actual dad. I just don't see how withholding the truth could be seen as a kindness when it is distinctly damaging to multiple people. I would not keep it quiet.

My username, Repose, the definitions. 1 - To be at rest 2 - To be dead 3 - To place trust or confidence in someone/something I figured it was a very fitting word to use as a username. Also a reference to how I like to read the dictionary now and then.

When I was young, we had a slew of cats. We even had a stray cat live on our porch, who we fed, and she gave birth there, too. My parents eventually got rid of all but one cat and switched over to dogs. They've been dog people since. I think I'd say that I'm fond of both, but to be honest, I don't think I want a pet. They can be great, but they can be work, too. In particular, teaching dogs proper behavior, or having to deal with cat hair and puke/hairballs everywhere. Also, the remaining cat with my parents, I named myself, when I was a kid. He's very old as far as cats go. Still lively, way too much energy for his age, but I don't relish the thought of his passing. I've had pets die before, but this cat is my baby boy, you know? I just don't want another thing I'll like too much and outlive. On a side note, generally speaking, I prefer bigger dogs. Big dogs are already strong, so they don't feel a massive need to assert themselves. Way more calm and easy. Small dogs want to seem tough in spite of being puny, so they tend to be temperamental and noisy. That's just my experience, though.

Climate change has always been a thing because it is always changing. Vast majority of these global warming doomsday disasters are the most extreme lengths of what MIGHT happen. Everyone immediately goes to the best or worst scenario; we think in extremes, when reality tends to be more bland and dull. So yes, climate may change, but this mess is sensationalism with a political agenda. Even if we did go completely green, the amount of difference or time it would make/save would be minuscule. Though, I don't think it wrong to look into alternative sources for everything. It expands our breadth of knowledge and provides a safety blanket in case things go awry. People assume scientists have integrity and the best interest of everyone, but they neglect the fact that scientists are still people. They can be purchased. They can be biased. They can mess up expiraments. The youth of today is taken in cause of the school system. I say that as a relative youth as well, at 25 years of age, who went to public school. Just like scientists, you tend to trust teachers. Then you get taught nothing but THIS information, of course they're going to be biased. Don't give up all hope on them, though. I didn't buy into the whole deal even as a public student, and a few others didn't either.

I mean, is there sufficient evidence of this? Has he admitted to it? Caring for a friend, sure, but going after the girl seems irrational and against what would seem to be his prior principles. There are complex undertones in this scenario that would demand a close investigation. Everyone has the right to be assumed innocent until it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt otherwise. If he has done such a thing, yeah, maybe he could be removed from the pulpit. Whether he stays a member or not is debatable, but yeah, probably not in the pulpit. If it can't be proven and it does seem uncharacteristic, then the investigation would need to dig in as to why such an accusation was made. Whatever details turn up there would be another matter, and any and all future actions would depend on what's turned up.

Though, I might add that the approach needs to be considered. One must still have reverence and keep the mindset that whatever the issue is, is not WRONG or UNJUST, merely misunderstood.

Homosexuality is an abomination, in both OT and NT. Everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. The body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. Thus, masturbation is also a no-no. How would you feel knowing other men have kissed your wife? I'd be a bit grossed out, honestly. I do agree that there needs to be a bit of character and personality, though. At the least, holding hands and hugging shouldn't be that bad. Beyond that, I largely agree. Especially in particular when it comes to those who haven't even partially read the Bible. If they did, many of the issues would be more minimal. Hopefully.

Fourthing what Marylin said. I was a young man once, too. There were girls that I took an interest in who weren't into me. Then there were girls into me who I was not into. I know that sounds odd, but... One girl, I saw as a friend, and then her "confession" was too aggressive and sudden. Another was known to go from one guy to another and she smelled heavily like weed (I don't like it's particular stench). I had a really bad habit of scaring off "normal" girls and being a magnet for rather aggressive and what we'll call "bedroom-prone" girls. After thinking about it, I kind of just figured women aren't really worth all this trouble. I mean, they're great, but woopdeedoo, I just want to focus on other things. So I became what I called celibate at the time; it became abstinence when I got older and figured, if it is meant to be, so be it. To this day, I have not been out on a date. Don't really have any women messing up my air. I'm perfectly fine with it. I do admit to being a bit lonely now and then, but for the most part, there's more to life. A woman is great, but without anything else, it's probably rather empty. Like ordering a chef salad, except all you get is a bowl of croutons. Also, yeah, the dog thing. Everything dies. People die. Animals die. The grass withers and fades to dust. Things die, and the world does not work properly, due to sin. Sin is why death is in this world. Accusing God is misguided.