itty-bitty lamb

Is there a right or wrong way to be buried when we die for a Christian? i have some people in my family who want to be cremated, and then my husband wants to be cremated and his ashes scattered over the ocean. i have always wondered if it matters to God how we bury our bodies? What are some people's opinions on this?

Merry Christmas everyone!

Yes i like that book as well! About Hannah Hurnard's book, it seems more sentimental for me. It fell into my lap when i was a teenager and helped me through a very rough spot in my life. i can see how it would be a tedious read for someone though. It is not the greatest book out there, by far lol!

Oh yes, very nice find. i do love the book 'Hinds Feet on High Places' by Hannah Hurnard, and it fits well in this thread, being a story of scriptural analogies. Really is one of my favorite books. Just curious has anyone else read it?

Hab 3:19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. Psa 18:31-33 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.

Lamentations 3:22-24 22It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

i don't desire to distract from the OP, but just wanted to comment my two cents worth on this. i've found spirits to be highly territorial and possessive over spaces. They covet a space like it is their home or den. And ive found these spaces to be anything; from an actual room in a house defined by walls and doors and windows, to an inanimate object defined by its materialistic boundaries, to a living person defined by their body. And they don't like to be without a space. They behave like it is very discomforting or torturous to be wandering around without a den. Even higher principalities covet their territorial spaces, such as over a region of land like a mountain, or a city, or a nation. And it is described in the Bible as being 'dry' to them, between these spaces. If you can imagine a human wandering around a very dry desert lost without a home..how discomforting that would be. And i feel this is kind of like what spirits feel when they dont possess a space. So on top of their pursuit of pulling and dividing and severing our connection to/with God, they cling to these spaces and don't like to let go of them. They go frantic in the 'dry' spaces, and desperate to find a new space to occupy. Equally important i have found is that once a space has been emptied of a evil spirit/s, you need to fill it back up with something. Because if you don't fill it back up, then there remains empty room in that space for them to return back. If a room or an inanimate object has been emptied of bad spirit, it should be prayed over, annointed over, claimed in the name of Jesus, the Spirit of God invited and welcomed into that space, etc. If a person has been delivered from a bad spirit, they need to fill their empty space with God, as soon as possible. They need to sit at Jesus's feet and spend intimate time with Jesus just like the man in the Bible who had just been delivered of legion demon. They found him sitting with Jesus and soaking Him in. We fill ourselves by soaking in God's Scriptures - the Word is God. We become filled with His Spirit, and with His Truths. And when we fill these spaces with godly things, then the evil spirits cannot return back. Back to the OP though, i feel we cannot discount Books like Enoch to not contain any truth at all. Don't take me wrong, it is definitely not God's annointed Word. i do believe there was a race of giants on earth, as the bible also says there was. It is a shame the goverened institutions found it necessary to cover the majority of this up. But giant people did exist, taller than average height, and i believe they were their own race of people who are now gone. i believe this race of giant people were not part of God's original plan for His creation. He allowed it, but it was ultimately conceived out of sin, as the fruit of a sinful act. And we also know that sin was not God's plan for His creation either. If you look into a demon's face (if it is showing its true self to you and not putting on a mask to spin a lie or appear like a friend) you will be horrified and deeply disturbed by its eyes, and the immense hatred and evil it has for you. Hatred that passes our understanding, and is hatred in itself. Why? It is because we are God's creation. We are loved by God. We are God's original and perfect plan which He has reconciled back to us through Jesus. And they are not. They were born from sin, out of sin. Such as the OP points at. And we are the enemy. They don't hate you because of your love for God. They hate us because of God's love for us! And so both sinners and believers are constantly attacked and oppressed by them. They hate us because we exist. All of us - believers and nonbelievers. They are bent on severing all of us from the love of God.

Yes, they can cause you dreams and attack you in your sleep. i've experienced it. Dreams can come from yourself, from God, or from Satan (demons). You are in spiritual warfare, and when this happens you need to rebuke them in Jesus name, and pray and speak the Word of God over yourself. This is why it is important to become intimate with God's Word, and to read the Bible, and to keep the scriptures constantly in your heart and mind. But be at peace, because if you are saved in Jesus Christ, and believe He is the son of God who died for your sins, these demons oppressing your dreams have no real power over you.

This is great, i loved reading how the Lord is working with you and your church. i used to work in a nursing home facility myself, so this really rings close to my heart. i wish i was local so that i could help and assist in these endeavors. Prayers for you and your church, that the Lord will go before you and make it easy to get plugged into these facilities, and for other individuals in your church to feel the burden to get involved and help. Sometimes you just need to get things started and rolling before others will join.

i feel that every church should have an outreach ministry in the works, in some way or another. Our duty and responsibility as Christians is to spread the gospel, as @farouk has said. And it should be a burden felt by all. It was a heavy burden on Jesus, and it should be felt in our hearts as well, if Christ be in us.

Can i ask you kindly to #1 - please stop quoting me around in other places, to other people, and in other threads as if to justify something. #2 - and please stop pulling me back into the topic of piercings or tattoos, because i have already given my opinion.

Yep. i never said it wasn't her business, and i believe i did express earlier that it was a decision made between her and God.

No i don't like the look of tongue piercings. Just my preference. i am not saying it is sinful.

Figure of speech there, in my post. But yes, i'm not a Jew, and ive never felt a conviction from the Lord when i mix meat and milk. Who is Bill?

Oh, i'm slow at learning too haha. my mind is not quick. Yet i still see no great issue with using some homelitic fluff to a sermon, as long as the Word of God is getting across to the listeners. i've never experienced a situation where i've felt insulted by a speaker adding their own analogies. Maybe bored...but not insulted. i guess i don't think that deep into the speaker and their approach like you have. We both believe the Spirit of God works in our hearts through the message even despite the intentions of the speaker, and their use of analogies. Any preacher who is not adding the Word of God into their message though...that is an issue. If they focus on their own created material to the point of overshadowing the Word of God coming straight from the Bible then i wouldn't like that. Another thought is the likeness of parables to testimonies. It is the transfer of information and experiences and meanings from one target onto another target. The Spirit uses analogies to witness His nature to us just like the Spirit uses our testimonies to witness to unbelievers. God is still working in these whether they came straight out of the Bible or not. i don't feel it is a folly, because God is unlimited in His reach and can use anything to minister to us. But yes, the Word of God straight out of the Bible should always be the center and focus and heart of every homelitic analogy. You are right in how sweet the understanding is when you experience the Word of God living and working in our lives. There is victory when a verse comes to mind which suddenly counsels or guides you down a lifesaving path. It is crucial for us to hide God's scripture in our hearts and minds. You say Christians are not in need of a milk only diet, and i agree. But i think that a glass of milk is helpful to have on the side to help swallow down the meat. So, a balance.