Marathoner

Our concept of "church" speaks of our own experiences. I'm confident that insiders would find my outsider's perspective either impossible to understand, or even offensive. I'll sum it up this way: Church has always been strange and foreign to me. I came to the Lord far removed from churches; churches had nothing to do with me coming to Him. The way of life I witnessed in churches was just as foreign to me. There were fathers, mothers, and their children all together; I did everything I could to escape my father and mother whenever that was feasible. My love of the wilderness found its roots during my childhood because of a need to escape from their sight. The structure of services in a church struck me as pointless. Why all of this standing up, sitting down, standing up, and enforced solemnity? It didn't make sense. The Lord never required such things of me. I knew that He despises ritual and enforced servitude. Subjecting myself to religious men who do not know me, nor are involved in my life or relationship to the Lord, is absurd. I had experience with men like that. The Lord delivered me from their power. Listening to others berate me for not doing as they do only emphasizes how they do not speak for the Lord. The Lord speaks and I hear Him; whatever He tells me to do, I do it. This offends some.

The Swedish Chef was my favorite, followed by the two old men who were critics of the show.

I give our @Neighbor points for the Swedish Chef gif...

You might (or might not) recall my experience in a town of 1100 people located on the vast plain east of those mountains where I used to live. There was an assembly of 13 people who referred to themselves as a "church." They were so easy to miss in this place where the Baptist building was large (and so was a "non-denominational" building), hidden on a back street where it blended in seamlessly with houses. It looked just like someone's house... It had three window-mounted AC units. If it weren't for the ancient hand-painted sign facing the street, I wouldn't have found them. Their sign situated on the main thoroughfare (they had two traffic signals!) was partially hidden behind an elm tree. It was even more ancient than the sign in front of their building. I visited with them for three weeks. I couldn't have possibly cared less that this was a building with three window-mounted AC units... They welcomed me like a brother. The other buildings did not. That's what matters.

Word usage and meaning changes over the course of time; this is an observed attribute of language. Wearing archaic garb, "church" meant "house of the Lord" as understood by those who used the term centuries ago. By the same token, "religion" meant one's conduct and demeanor toward the Lord and not an organized, stratified system of belief and ritual as it does today. Note that context and meanings associated with both words changed over time. Nevertheless, "church" and "religion" continue to mean different things to different people, another attribute that I observed over the course of time. This is why I usually choose to remain silent in discussions like this one, for there is no profit to be had in assumption. I cannot assume that devotees of a stratified system of ritual and belief meeting in a structure sanctioned by the elite tier of said system of ritual and belief --- that sums up my own understanding of those words, friends --- can be universally applied. Not so! Therefore, this is why I say, "The beloved of the Lord may be found virtually anywhere and everywhere on this earth." There are most assuredly innumerable exceptions to my peculiar understanding and experience. Who am I to declare how things are when I don't know? I only know what I have witnessed and experienced, and it's not the custom of the Lord to reveal matters that do not pertain to me nor my calling in Him. Indeed, my own conduct and demeanor toward the Lord (religion) is what matters... not yours. I caution others to take care in matters like these.

I was aware that I was dreaming (on both accounts).

I've fallen asleep in a dream and had a dream within the dream before.

Mellorine was before my time. However, what we had at the base commissary in the Pacific was hilarious: reconstituted milk. From what I came to understand later in life, AAFES had dehydrated milk shipped from the states; it was reconstituted at facilities in the Southwest Pacific. One day, when we made it to the bottom of a carton of commissary milk, we looked at the remains of a gecko. I loved it!

Wherever spiders are found, their prey is sure to be around. Here's a random image of a hamster wearing a toupee.

It's a problem here in New Mexico, MM. Rats in particular are infamous for building adobe structures inside of the engine compartment of parked vehicles. Mice will chew on internal wires causing mystifying electrical problems as well. It's more of a problem in rural areas than here in the city.

The word "hamburger" has always mystified me. Hamburger doesn't contain ham...

Indeed. There is risk involved with waking up in the morning. There is also risk involved with falling asleep. Most accidents happen close to home whether we're on foot, riding a bicycle, or operating a motor vehicle... so there's risk involved in simply leaving the house. There are also risks involved with staying at home. There are risks involved with merely living upon this earth, yes? Indeed!

I tried fried crickets many years ago.

I am doing well, sister. The Lord provides!

Empanadas are exceedingly good.

Sounds excellent.

I suggest trying it out before committing it for lasagna.

Yeah, you'd want someone with a brain to work on which rules me out. Sorry.

Have you tried rice pasta? It's delicate and good in my opinion. It's also GF.

Green chile stew.

Yes. Considering how I was born in a military hospital and reared on military installations, I aspired to be a solider like my father. The circumstances surrounding how that came to pass are extraordinary. First, I was born in a military hospital attached to the same military school that I would attend and graduate from 20 years later. My father was serving his first assignment as an instructor at that school. Secondly, my father helped develop and field test tactics, operations, and hardware that were the precursor of my military occupational specialty and hardware I used in the U.S. Army. Third, the date of my enlistment in the Army was my father's birthday (that was also the date of my honorable discharge four years later). Fourth, my Basic Training barracks was one block down the road from the barracks where my father was assigned during his Basic Training in 1958. I came to the Lord a few years after my discharge from the Army.

I agree with @missmuffet. It's good to see you active on Worthy! If one is moved to become engaged with all of this, then that's what one should do. I've never been the least bit concerned with what the world does; I occupy myself with serving the needy and the homeless. It's what the Lord equipped me to do. Let the dead bury their dead, I say.

Muslims are appalled by the same things. Does this make it indicative of godliness? There is a righteousness of the flesh that issues railing accusations, and there are men who put transgressors to death. Our example is what the sick and dying need, not hatred and disgust. Public displays of indignation do not serve the Lord, they serve ourselves. Don't be deceived.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8 NASB) Railing about the world doing what the world does profits no one. It alienates the lost by demonstrating that the grumbler is no different than the world, for grumbling discontent is a worldly tradition. Instead of Christ, they witness a demonstration of the flesh.

There is no scriptural basis for cessationism. The gifts of the Spirit are for the edification and building up of the Body; arguments that seek to fashion mandarin oranges out of Granny Smith apples are superfluous. I have said this before, and it bears repeating for the sake of our readers: The scriptures are collective which is to say, they address all throughout time and space. They are fit to instruct us all. The gifts of the Spirit are for here and now, for the edification and equipping of the saints for service while we walk in those works in Christ Jesus. We are created in Him to do these, yes? We are indeed. Prophecy doesn't reveal anything "new" nor add to the scriptures, my friends. What is the gift of prophecy? Speaking those words which the Lord would have us speak. It is according to His will and purpose, not our own.