rockswillcryout

Has anyone ever told you that puns are the lowest form of humor?

Okay all you OU and 'bama fans.... I didn't want to, but I have to whip it out.... Yes, I am from the great cornhusker state, who currently has an only so-so football team. But that's okay. Football is still a great sport and although many hate us for once being an unstoppable force, it's now time for us to be humbled and work our way back up to the top. You won't see me wearing one of these at a game (I'm much too stylish for that) but I will always wear it on my heart. I am no fair-weather fan. I live in a college town as well, just not the one the huskers play in. It's about 40,000 population, has a wonderfully charming downtown area with two of the great coffee shops ever. What we lack in movie theaters (we only have 2) we make up for in fast food, sadly. We are a little "crane-obsessed" here (the bird crane, that is) because they flock here by the thousands once a year. We are also home of the great archway monument. Disney manages it from the land of Florida and well, it's a total tourist flop. But it looks impressive arched over the most traveled interstate in the world - I-80. We also have a lot of corn and cows, and some amazing countryside and hills for days.

I don't think he was. It's been a while since I've heard the song, but if I remember correctly, it's told from the perspective of a father who takes his daughter to see the cruxifiction. And the "Daddy, Daddy" part is the daughter asking him a question. Christian713, do you remember any other words?

Is it just me or does the air feel much clearer around here? :il:

The primary misconception I consistenly see over and over is that people believe that at long as you are a good person, you won't end up in hell. And what you believe about God is simply a personal preference ("your reality is different from my reality") and not an absolute truth. People believe that we can earn our way into God's approval. And that's not how he works. How can we get others to see more of how he is? In relation to my answer, when people ask me why I do the things I do, I tell them it's not about earning anyone's approval and it's not about making myself feel good. That answer to unfathomable to most. I them tell them it's a response to a gift I've been given. Then I tell them about grace.

As Oswald Chambers has said, grapes are at their sweetest when crushed. And sometimes God uses people we don't like to crush us, so we can become our sweetest. Not that who crushes us really matters, what matters is what we get out of being crushed. But for me, it hurts more when it's someone I don't like. When that someone is holding a mirror up to my face and showing me what's wrong with me, it's frustrating. It's like this little voice inside me starts shouting "Hypocrite!" I had someone I didn't like very much tell me something about myself I didn't want to admit. At the time (about 5 years ago, back in college) I thought he was completely crazy. But a couple of weeks ago I realized he was exactly right. And it made me so mad! He told me I had "all or nothing syndrom" - meaning, if someone in my life didn't live up to the expectations I placed on them, I wanted nothing to do with them. I look back now at how I treated him and he was right. He didn't live up to what I wanted, so I stopped being friends with him. And at the time, I thought I stopped being friends with him because he was a jerk and treated me horribly and perhaps to some extent he didn't treat me very well, but I can also now see that because he didn't give me what I wanted (and what I wanted was unfair) I withdrew. I soooo didn't want him to be right, but I am now eating crow in a big way. I learned from him that I can't have expectations of people without knowing where we stand, and that when I feel I'm being treated unfairly, I must express myself in an honest and lovely way by talking to the person about it. (Instead of withdrawing like a child.) So, I don't know if that guy I didn't like very much was "evil" per se... (although sometimes the way he acted was evil ) but God still used him to change me. And for that I am grateful.

Thanks Kristin.

I used to fast fairly often, but got out of the "habit" about four years ago. I've fasted for right and wrong reasons, I've fasted with and without purpose, so that's one of the reasons I stopped. Although these last few days, I've felt the Spirit prompting me to fast again for a very specific reason. How many of you have gone on fasts and what was your reason? Was it a postive or negative experience and what did God show you?

Psalm 121 I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD , the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

I think maybe you are misunderstanding the difference between healing and forgiveness. To me, forgiveness is what I get because of the atonement. Healing is what I go through after the sin has been committed and after I've been forgiven. To me, healing is a process - not an instantanous thing. The healing I need because of my sin may take years. The very definiation of healing is "resortation" and although I cannot be healed without forgiveness, I can be forgiven without being healed. (My own stubbornness can prevent this, if I don't allow myself to be broken in spirit.) But forgiveness is instant - as soon as I ask for it, God's gives it to me. Jesus did take the judgement I deserved for my sin. But your question is a good one - did our "actual" sin get placed upon him? Why would it need to? Before Jesus died on the cross, people offered up sacrifices to God to please him, and to be forgiven by him. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice - so we no longer have to kill calves and place them on alters. He became the sacrifice, but I don't think he became the sin. (Which I think it what you are saying, right?) As the sacrifice, and as the Son of God, he has the authority and power to forgive then heal us from our sin.

I've expereinced thos feelings of doubt too. It's very normal. Satan will attack anything in you to get you trip up. He fights dirty....but you can fight back. When those thoughts creep in my head, I say: "I take captive that thought and make it obedient to Jesus Christ." And that helps me. God bless!

Doesn't really matter. With the proclamation, the damage is already done. That is a fair assumption. Unfortunately.

I haven't seen these commericials. What are they advertising? A product? Or just the general message?

A friend of mine just recently left his prebyterian church because of their stand on homosexuality. (The PCA) Actually, the demoniation had made the stance a while ago, he said, and at that time, their current minister did not ascribe that their stance. So he stayed. But they got a new pastor a few months ago, who does align himself with the offical stance the demonation has taken. Here is an article about the U.S. Presbyterian Church Assembly that is very recent. Perhaps it will help. Last I heard, they voted (back in 2001) to overturn the ban on ordination of homosexual in their churches. And I do not know i any homeosexual have been ordained. But I'll admit I haven't kept up with it (I'm not a presbyterian, but I did attend a prebyterian college, so my interest was great at one point).

Love is putting the other person above yourself (Phil. 2: 4-5) Love is controlled by God, not by your actions or feelings (1 John 4:16) Love understands the other person, even when they don

Why wouldn't it be a sin? All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) Romans 2: 12-15

My motivation is learning. I am a work in progress and the bible is my instruction manual. I won't grow if I don't read it.

This is an open and shut case for me - and you alraedy took the answer! But in addition to that, there are many other benefits to his life. For me, the main one would be is that he is the person I have to model my life after.

I can't believe I missed this thread either! What a wonderful idea! I've been coming here a quite a while now and I really haven't become close to very many (I realize that especially after reading this thread) but I still have people that touch my heart. rmj7 - for taking the time to email me way back when and spill your guts. We now spills our guts to each other frequently be email and I am always happy to get a message from him! bethy - for being so willing to ask and learn and be positive - and never afraid of hiding her feelings. And for just being the sweetest girl ever. LadyC - for standing her ground, for being a true woman of conviction and always being classy, no matter what mean things are said to her. I appreciate her so much! nebula - for always being kind. anonymous - for being my prayer warrior during the prayer vigil traveller - it's been a real honor and joy to pray for her during the vigil faith - for knowing and feeling when something is wrong and asking if she can pray

You know, sometimes people make mistakes. The fact she realized what she did was wrong is a good thing. We all need forgiveness now and then. We all go through tough times in life in order to grow as children of God. Who are we to throw stones at anyone?

Confession humbles me -- to say it out loud (whether someone besides God hears it or not.) It's not self condemnation - it's recognizing that what you did was wrong and more than anything, you are sorry for what you God. It's seeking out God's forgivness and a way to help you forgive yourself. Why do we make sin out to be so hard? That is such a good question Ray. I supose if I knew the true answer to that - if any of us did - we may get sin licked. Figuring out why we do things is getting to the very root of the problem and that brings us closer to solving it. But there is no getting around our sinful nature. It's there. It's how we were born. We can't get around it ourselves - if we could, Jesus wouldn't have died on the cross. He would have rather died than spend eternity with you. Now that's humbling.

Faith is not knowing what tomorrow holds, but knowing who holds tomorrow. "I read the last page of the Bible, I know it will all turn out okay." -Billy Graham

There really is no way I could only want to eliminate one... the first one that comes to mind is my critical nature. I'm critical of everone around me and of myself. It a very crippling thing in my life. It creates more and more negative thoughts I don't need.

I won't share anything I've done, but i will share something that was done to me. I was a junior in college, touring with a Christian Rock band, going to half-way houses, youth groups, camps, etc. The seven of us travelled in an 11 passanger van with a trailer holding all of our instruments and equipment. And we spent more of our time in Colorado that summer - going up very steep mountains. We broke down several times on the way up and on the way down those mountains and by the end of the summer, I think our poor van was simply tired. We were in Wyoming on our way to Nebraska - the last few days of our trip. It was the end of July and steaming hot, as you can imagine. And the van broke down. But this wasn't a simply overheating - it was something major (I have no idea what it was - I know nothing about cars) So are srtanded on the side of a black top road. We got out the cell phone and called a local repair place, but they said they might be an hour or two. We were probably about a mile or two from the nearest town, so we were stuck. I have no clue how long we were out there, but it felt like forever! Later on, a woman in a very delapitated car drove by us, but kept on going. At the time we didn't thing anything of it, but several mintes later, we are leaning up against the van in the shade, panting from the heat, this car drives up again. And the woman gets out with two plastics bags full of very cold bottled water for us. What a relief! She had very worn clothes and two or three (I can't remember exactly) small children in the back seat of her car. She told us she didn't have much money and didn't feel she could help us very much, but knew water would be appreciated. She had no idea how wonderful it was! One of the songs we performed that summer was the old song by Susan Ashton, Margaret Becker and Christine Dente called "Angels": The touch of His hand will let me know He takes me in and lets me go If not for love, who would believe? Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in you and me We're lifted up by angels Higher than the world Strong enough to leave it Bound to learn the secrets Angels never heard Close enough to heaven Far above the rain Darkness cannot reach us Let the angels teach us Only love remains I told that story every time I sang that song in concert from that day forward.

Why is it so hard to love rather than run around in those little circles in anger? And why is it easier to sweep it all under the rug and ignore it rather than confront it with the other person? It is because we are so obsessed with our own "tails" that we can't see past them? We can't see it from the one who flicked at you's perspective?