Abrielle

I didn't even know what reaction I should give. Thumbs up, Loved it, Brillitant, Praise God, Praying. I would give all of them if I could. I always think of you when I come across I Corinthians 7:14. Praying for you and your family.

The laugh of the believer can exist while contemplating God's Word, yes. Even Sarah laughed because of God's word for her, and God went with it and named her son Isaac, a name related to laughter. I would change the title, because no one is laughing at the Bible. The Bible is an ancient book, telling us a very serious story, using people who we often and easily perceive as too far apart from us. But when we pay attention, we can see their personalities and how God is so merciful to receive them even with their idiosyncrasies. The exemple that I gave, I can be speaking out of my ignorance, but I do smile at Jacob's stubborn gesture, of exchanging the blessing by crossing his hands. He lived so many years, learnt so many things, yet... So, I do find it "funny", because I can relate to this. Humour is the easiest and fastest way to feel at ease. The patience God has with us is endearing, it moves me and fills me up with joy, so much that this joy sometimes turns into a laugh: The laugh of joy that we can only give because God constantly shows His benevolence towards us, silly, stupid people.

When Jacob crosses his hands to bless Joseph's sons.

«Who seeks for heaven alone to save his soul, May keep the path, but will not reach the goal; While he who walks in love may wander far, Yet God will bring him where the blessed are.» Taken from The Story of the Wise Man, by Henry Van Dyke

Sometimes I read about crime cases and ask how some things were allowed to happen. But then I realize: these cases are proof of what would happen, if God wasn't intervening. Some evil is allowed to happen, it has to be this way, this world was given to Satan when we decided to depend on ourselves instead of God (I mean when the serpent persuaded Eve). But if God wasn't somewhat controlling the amount of evil that goes on here, we wouldn't even last one century, so what to say millenials. Remember what the adversary did to Job when he was allowed to touch him. Job's story is a "microcosmos" of what is going on here: The Adversary wanting to prove that God only has followers if He protects the world. The Adversary says: There is no love for God, only interest. This is the Adversary's argument and has to be proven wrong so he can be killed eternally, and without any chance to someone saying "I believe he had a point", starting all over again. In all this adversity, God still has His faithful people who don't turn away, who want to know why He is good, who then end up knowing how good He is. This is the prove that kills the Adversary's argument: We live difficult times and we see evil all around, we sometimes are victims too, but we connect with God in our hearts, we gained salvation through Jesus, we have ways to know that God is good and that this world doesn't represent what God wants to give. We choose God even though there is so much deceit. Don't be deceived, sister. Whatever evil you see that shocks you, you are much closer to that in nature than God, yet you feel pain and empathy; now imagine how it must be to God, who is Love, who is Pure. You are not suffering alone, and whatever good in you —that makes you feel appalled with evil— isn't even yours.

(This is an hypothetical Clarke, so I feel free to be a little bit harsh on my judgments towards Brother Clarke.) I wouldn't reply to Brother Clarke the second time. Why bother? I'm too lazy for people who come with problems and show no interest in creating a solution. He didn't write anything like: "What can we do to help? What does she like? What causes matter to her? And what about you, can we pray together, brother?", or any idea, so why bother answering Brother Clarke? He is the type of person who answers himself to what he says, regardless of what you tell him, he will always listen to himself, he lives in his monologue. He didn't even have the courtesy of talking personally about a painful subject to a parent. Or maybe I would reply: "Yes, it does look bad, because it is bad. Have a nice week!" but I am avoiding my provocative side, so... Ignoring is best. I wouldn't be upset either. It would be a neutral interaction. We all have our limitations.

Without any details, a dozen hypotheses with their own answer come up, but I will take a risk and choose just a couple of them, maybe I will not be too far off from something useful. I will answer your question in "two acts", one without the last condition you give (must not want children), and other one with it. "How to find the right Christian boyfriend" has almost as many answers as Christian couples. God has His way of guiding us, we all need to be transformed and God takes care of us through that process. For instance, I know a woman who was so desperate to find a man; for years she did everything she could, went everywhere. When she gave up, she surrendered to her sorrow, went to God's lap and said "I give up, You are my number One and my only One." Not long after this, a man approached her at her door. He was given an important role in that community and needed something from her. Long story short: He liked her, she liked him, they got married a couple of years later. But then, let me give you another exemple: I know someone who decided to just wait for the right person. This person believes that God will simply put a person in their way. And has been waiting, waiting... has been living a sad and unwanted singlehood for 50 years. Maybe the first woman needed to learn to wait on God, to give up control and allow God to be on command. Maybe God used her despear to teach her a greater lesson about her personality and how she was an obstacle in her spiritual life. But in the second case, maybe this person needs to learn that God likes brave people, who don't just stand dorment. So, these two have a completely different answer to "How do I find a Christian partner?". To the woman would be: "Calm down, give up the control, give it to God." and to the other person would be (I think): "Wake up! Do something! Don't just stand there wasting life with the expectation that everything will fall on your lap." And to you, @strebe, what would be the answer? This is you writing your faith history, walking your spiritual path. I don't know the reason why not wanting kids is a must. As it is a delicate subject, I will answer it indirectly: We were made to frutify this earth. Some will do it thanks to marriage and having children. Others won't. Us single people, and childless couples, we all have a role to play in this world, as God's stewardesses. Even people who cannot leave their house, if they can pray, they will be given fruits that please God. Within our existence and circumstances, God can find plenty when we give Him what we have. When we surrender to Him and have Him as our Father, He notices and values our struggles, He knows the size that our little things have for us (remembering now the widow's offering.- Luke 21:1-4). God knows our hearts and accepts our sincerity. We can give Him fruits, we can fruitify. I doubt that, if you put your focus on being fruitful to God in the way you can, with your sincerity, being genuine and honest in your actions, you won't shine to a right Christian boyfriend who will join your way of being fruitful on this earth. There are plenty of places where a Christian is needed and not having kids can be a great advantage. What is wrong is selfishness, but this is already taken care of if we surrender to God and listen to His voice when we make our choices. Allow yourself to be a trustworthy tool in God's hands, He will put someone in your life to whom you can be a great helper and be fruitful together.

Am I to understand that as an acknowledgment of wrongdoing, an intent to change, and a request for forgiveness? (For clarification to anyone reading this interaction: My first post on this thread states that we are all welcome to exchange our burden to a lighter one, regardless of what it is.)

@Josheb My intent is right there to be seen. You already reacted to it asking for relevance to the op. You could be an exemple and show us how to keep loyal to the original post. My post was sincere. It is important to me to keep this forum pleasant and i believe this conversation goes against my goal. I leave this conversation with something better than i could give. It is a text that i keep close, and my presence in this forum, just because i can't see your faces nor know your troubles, is no exception for keeping it close: «...make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.» (II Peter 1: 5-8)

Demand that in a way that is relevant to the OP, so i can answer you without you asking me for my answer's relevance to the OP.

The relevance to the OP is that it belongs to a forum that is compared to a supper, at George's table, and you keep putting your fingers on other people's plates. I don't see anyone else doing that in this forum, we all can disagree without being invasive.

Josheb, if you had to push Proverbs 26 to answer my post, then i apologize for being playful. It was not my intention to be hypocritical, and i believe i didn't have that in my heart. When i come to this forum, i am an anonymous person who can just enjoy companionship with other believers, to who(m?) the common ground we share (God's Word = Jesus) is what matters the most. I'm glad you use this forum to discuss theories with a scientific background, i'm sure that this is very helpful for some, but i already have that in my daily life. So as i come here to rest, we will exist here in parallel. I have seen you in other threads, i would never quote you if you hadn't use my words in an unnecessary way. You could have added your thoughts without quoting our posts out of context, for none of what we have said conflicts with what you add.

As you know —because It must have taken you a second to choose those three lines of my comment to fit your intentions— i wasn't answering to the problematic of homossexuality, i was commenting on the idea that being homosexual is a huge burden. I myself know nothing. If i know homossexuality is wrong, it's because i hear and read God's word. Why are you laughing then? Why is that so funny? I just want to understand... why? Why is that so funny. Do you have a biblical verse to substantiate the comical aspect of what made you laugh? (I'm just being playful with you, please don't be upset.)

20 ..."I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17: 20-23) It's that powerful.

Please, forgive me if i misrepresented your post with mine. I think that homosexuality is not any different than being a celibatarian, or even a married person, or single person. The animalistic nature of sexuality exists for all. Even a married couple can make wrong choices with each other, together. The topic is about homossexuals, so i get that you would mention them in particular, but i added my post thinking about the kid who is struggling with what he/she hears in the media/school/etc. and what the Holy Spirit tells them in their conscience. Their burden is heavy, we all have a burden, so they are not alone, they are able to surpass this, God didn't create them to be miserable, we are all the same, we all deny ourselves so Jesus can live in us.

Teddyv, i agree with your care about how others may feel, but i disagree with what you say. To say that being homossexual is so intrinsec to their personal being, gives me the impression that they belong in a different position than others who deal with a sinful nature. Where does this idea of "homossexuality is part of who you are" comes from and how does this contrast with what everyone experiences in their struggles? Doesn't the lazy person believe laziness is just part of who they are? Isn't the addict convinced that it's just part of who they are? Doesn't the victimist believe that they are truly victims of life? Isn't indulging our own ego the root of what separates us from God? How do homossexuals have it different than others? One thing is to be kind and empathetic to those who struggle, another thing is to accept alien concepts of who-we-are. We all have a burden and we all are welcomed to exchange it for a lighter one. Vulgar concepts from this world come with illusory weights. We, as Jesus' followers, have the duty to keep things well defined, and put light where there are shadows, refusing all the grey areas invented by humans who look for a spectrum between "right" and "wrong". Most of us, even as believers, struggle daily with thoughts of who we are that we are not. We can only be above such thoughts of hopelessness because God has told us who we can be and what we can do with Him, for Him, for others.

Maybe this verse was quoted because your post is about serving Him. A life of service is a life serving our Lord.

Starise, So many gifts! Thank you for sharing with us! But now i need a video about that clock. : )

Beautiful post. I have to translate this for my father. I have been thinking about these subjects for a long time, probably since 2009 when i read The Insanity of Normality. Your post adds plenty. If i'm able, i'll return to this discussion, but if not, i just want to leave my gratitude. Precious, precious, precious text. And very succinct indeed. All publics matter.

You must have done something right!

I don't. When people spend time reading and studying the Bible, they come up with visual ideas to share with others who may need help to understand abstract concepts, and this one seems to be a truthful one. He just emphasises the door being wide open, to illustrate how much Jesus wants us to choose that gate. It's not like he said: "The door is narrow but it will be enlarged by a wrecking ball". I hope that sermon touched many to choose the narrow gate that Jesus holds wide open.

You should accept your own conclusions.

SIC, your question was "are these opinions misogynistic?" To discuss if that group is good or not is another thread. In this topic, you wanted to make sure that you weren't being misogynistic, but notice how this was so unimportant for almost everyone that replied to you. Is it possible that your perspective needs some adjustment? Maybe right now you are too close to this situation and need time and space to think about the good answers our brothers and sisters have given. To call you "misogynistic" was unproductive. If it is accurate or not, only you can evaluate through prayer, only you and God know if your observations come from dislike towards women or not, or if those sisters would have reasons to feel unloved by you if they knew what is going on inside of you.

This wasn't in reply to me, but it was clarifying. I completely misinterpreted your original post. I thought you were worried that something fishy was going on, and that you could sound misogynistic in your approach. The title of this thread asks for everybody's opinions, but especially the ladies'. I leave this thread very confused, asking myself why does the opinion of female members in a forum matter, when you already decided that a group with more women than men has less to offer than what you want. If there are men in that group, then you have male fellowship there too. I don't like to use worldly definitions, like "misogyny", i prefer to talk about christian love and i wonder if the sisters of that group will feel unloved or not, once they hear about your reasons to leave the group.

I have to add what kind of questions must be answered, before any judgment, because "women to men ratio" does not mean anything by itself. Are you in a country/city where women are usually in a larger number anywhere? What is these women's group age range? Are some single, some married, some widows? How do they relate to the leader? Do they try to please him and look for his approval, does he reply to this in a manipulative manner? Is this leader more sensible to certain issues that make women more comfortable? How does this leader deal with married women who have their husbands out of the church? How do these women relate to each other, are they friends and help each other, or is there a competitive interaction? Etc. There are leaders who are more sensible, which can be comforting for women, and it is a shame to judge these leaders as if they had a personal agenda, just because of a ratio. The priority would never be if this church can serve me well, but "What positive role can i have here?". When we have good discernment, which in itself is a gift from God, God will help us to do something good out of it. We are not to build our own pedestales. If something weird is happening and if you are able to see it, then probably you will be given tools to help not just yourself but others.