Sisterchick

...that he knew I must've been having sex with my son. Okay... I must confess that I kind of got lost reading your thread, but this sentence stood out, Big Time! There are issues that need professional help and for your safety, I would get it quickly. I also think that there should be limits and boundaries with an older teen. It doesn't have to be a stepson to be an issue. My household is dealing with that, as well. It's a control thing.

I work in the Activities Depatment of a large nursing home and we are currently using two-three different kinds of hymnals for our church services. Does anyone have an idea where I could look for some good used hymnals? I know alot of churches have hymnals that are collecting dust and our budget is limited. We're interested in hymnals that have the older hymns. Our residents aren't familiar with the new (after 1975) contemporary songs. Thanks!

Maybe there was a fire or someone set fire to a farm. BUT, I guess he could smell if he ate enough of it. People smell like what they eat, (onions, garlic, and such)if they consume enough. After the day I've had, it's nice to think so deeply about something that doesn't matter. Thanks!

I hate stories like this! He-Hee! I'm too analytical. How did the marijuana get into the owl. Aren't they carnivores? Did he eat an animal that had eaten the marijuana?AND... I can understand that he was calm, but didn't he have the munchies? --- See... too analytical. -- Thanks for sharing!

This is a very sensitive subject to discuss on message boards. I am praying for you. Your dad left an awesome legacy and one that you can be proud of, but you cannot stand in his place. Just as much as you need encouragement, your mom also needs encouragement. But, that encouragement must come from the Lord and friends. Our first instinct, when we lose a parent is to want to comfort and protect the remaining parent. This can eventually cripple the whole situation. My mom died in 1993 and my oldest sister rushed in to love on my dad through the grief. By the time, my dad died in 2003, my sister had no life of her own. There has to be bounderies. I love the reply that said that you can meet Mom after church. I totally agree. Seek the Lord and love your mom, but your first church is your husband and family and building the legacy for them as the Woman God has called you to be. We have had families divide over style of worship. So, blessings to you and your family.

I am a part of the Altar and Prayer Ministry Team at our church. God is so good in leading me on how to pray, but I need help with scripture. I know that the boards are full of people that have had to deal with all kinds of things, so please help. I prayed with a young lady this past Sunday that had an abortion years ago. What God showed me during that prayer time was that because she hasn't forgiven herself, she purposely puts herself in situations with family, friends, etc. where she allows them to be mean to her, not physically as far as I know, but emotionally. She's in such pain, it is hard for her to be loved. It breaks my heart. Her mother-in-law is downright evil toward her. This young lady is married with a toddler and I am sensing that she will allow this child to grow up to treat her badly, as a punishment, if she can't get passed this. Thanks, for your help!

This may sound harsh, but... it is the truth. You may live harmoniously, NOW, but are you thinking about marriage, children...? Have you experienced a crisis or a loss, together. I don't care if he's been Buddhist his whole life and you were saved, yesterday. (deep breath) My husband and I just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. Last Sunday my husband surprised me after the church service, by marrying me, again. Our family and friends blessed us with an awesome renewal ceremony and reception. Our church family have waited in hospital waiting rooms with us, hugged us when we lost parents, were there with groceries, when we lost jobs and celebrated with us when we got job promotions. AND, we can stand, together and praise our Lord, when a brother or sister is called home to be with Him and a new saint is baptized. Our pastor gave us a wonderful gift by making a transcript of our renewal ceremony. Let me share one of the prayers with you. Our God, Creator and Sustainer of all life, we are grateful that you make all things new. We recognize that you give rebirth to our spirits to fashion us for eternal life, that some day You will renew the heavens and the earth, that you transform and renew our minds, and that you renew our strength to enable us to make fresh steps of faith and commitment. We praise you for refreshing renewal! We pray that You will bless this unique time of renewal as we joyfully remember the past, optimistically look to the future, and humbly experience your presence now in this ceremony of renewal. In Jesus' name, Amen. Satan wants you to think everything is okay, harmonious, but God has given you a freewill. You are in my prayers.

How are you doing, Honey? You have really been on my heart.

Ummmmmmm... I have to go along with AJ... Pray first and only HE can win them over. BUT, some red flags popped up as I read your thread. --- You are on multiple boards, trying to convince them of Christ's love and the error of their thinking. Bless him, Lord. SW, you have a great desire to serve Him. But, it's not OUR job to convince anyone. The Lord has to call them to Him. And, sometimes, he allows us to come along for the ride. AND, we are called to LOVE one another. I had to learn this lesson. I thought, why aren't they listening? Don't they see it? Then God said. "You are nobody, without me. Just love them." How many people do you listen to, that you don't know... that you don't have a relationship with? What are you doing in your church? Are you drawing close to the Lord? God showed me that He wanted me to work on my relationship with Him, before I started WORKING, for Him. Also, as far as these boards... Pray over them, before you respond, too. Satan would love for you to keep shooting yourself in the foot. Let God lead you. My oldest son has a friend that goes on message boards for the very purpose of arguing and causing aggravation. I pray that the Lord will bless you as you continue your walk with Him.

I can't help but think how disappointed God must be that this is a contraversal topic. We are letting souls slip into the fire of hell. We are all called to rescue the parishing. Genesis 1 says, starting in verse 27... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground". Galations 3 starting in verse 26... You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself wiht Christ. There is neither jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. I actually thought that I was born with a birth defect. I was called to ministry at the age of 16. Praise God that HE showed me the truth. AND, Praise God that I don't have to debate it, because that is wasting precious time. I went to a friend's ordination service Friday evening. God is doing a mighty work through HER. We are all one with Christ as the head. Jude 22-23 - Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy; mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. Blessings!

It is late and I should go to bed, but the emotions that flooded my heart, when I read agoraphobia, won't let me. Sweatie! God loves you so much. Are you under a physician's care for agoraphobia? --- This is something that has plagued my family, for generations. My mother lived her life by watching the world through the window. She very rarely ever left the house. (Crying) My mom passed away in 1993. One of my sister's is agoraphobic. She ended up having a massive heart attack a few years ago, at 51. Her panic attacks were so severe, she couldn't decifer between heart attack and panic attack. Sooooo, after 18 months of therapies, she's doing amazingly well, but legally blind with limited short term memory. I, myself, battle with it. Years ago, my husband was going to everything without me. I put the blame on him. I was overweight... he didn't really want me with him... then I started provoking him. I begged him to hit me, one time. I wanted to look as bad as I felt. It got easier and easier to stay home. When the kids would have something going on in school, I would suddenly become sick. I don't know how many times, over the years, that I've told my husband that we should go our separate ways. "How selfish of him to act like a bachelor, when he's married with three kids", I think. Then, one day, I did something and my husband said, "You sound like your mother." It hurt! But, you know what? He was right. I was becoming my mother. I hate going on and on, because nobody reads long posts, so, let me just say. You loved your husband or you wouldn't have married him. Fight for him and your marriage. Fight for your life. Satan would likes nothing more than to leave you alone with your thoughts. My mind helped me make up all kinds of stuff. It isn't going to to get better, if you don't do something. Start small, if you have to, but, please start!!!! I will be praying for you.

It's early, so maybe I missed this part, but does she go to church with you? ---As far as what you have to do? YOU can't do anything. God's timing is perfect. Trying to help get her "saved" is probably just making her defensive. I asked the church to join me in prayer for seven years, for my husband. It wasn't until I started to treat him as if he were already saved and the man that God had called him to be, that the Holy Spirit was able to get in there and do His work. I shudder to think of all of the times that I got in the way. --- Whenever ANYTHING came to my mind, I thought it was of God, but I began to wait for confirmation, before I made a move. Model Christ in front of her and love her. It sounds like God is already doing a work in her, so continue to pray and work on your own relationship with God. I was wasting time concentrating on my husband that it took my eyes off Christ. Blessings!

I don't have any personal experience with step families, but, I would agree with the above post. --- I'm sure it's difficult for all of you, at times, BUT believe it or not, this is harder on them. Your brother may not want to come down hard on you, because he wants to be your friend and feels bad for being in the position of being a parent to you. Not because he resents it, but because that's the way it has to be. It takes alot of love to be responsible for a younger brother/sister. And, it can't cause friction between your brother and his wife. --- I'd have to have more details, I guess.

WOW... this will go over big, I'm sure. But, it is true. I soooooooooooo wish that someone had given me this piece of wisdom early in my life. I probably wouldn't have listened, though. Don't wait until you're in your mid-forties (like me) to hear it. It will feel awkward and your flesh is going to fight you tooth and nail, but I have been so blessed by blessing others. Also, the family dynamics change, when you get married. Maybe, she is trying to treat you like adults, by waiting for an invitaion to come over to your new place. Just an idea.

Calling his mom back was a natural response, but unfortunately by him letting you deal with her, he's just letting you parent him, too. That's not good. It sounds like your mom-in-law can't deal with her son being someone's husband. It sounds like she is awfully dependant on him. Is his dad (her husband) deceased? --- Maybe he says, "Yes, Mom... Okay, Mom... Sure, Mom...", but he never does carry things through. Believe me, I know what it feels like to pick up, where MOM left off. I liked my husband needing me, like that, in the beginning. But, then I realized that my in-laws and I were always disagreeing and my husband got to sit back and relax. How did we solve it? Well both of my in-laws died within our first seven years of marriage. I hate that they can't see the man that their son has become. And... whether I understand or agree with anything they ever did, they gifted me with him. My advice... pray, together... love each other... and bless your mom-in-law, whenever you can. Satan doesn't want you to be happy. So, kill him with kindness. Blessings!

Okay, Josh. Let me begin by saying that my husband and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary at the end of September. When I was in my twenties, I couldn't honestly believe that we would live long enough to see 25 years. Ahhhh, the ignorance of youth. He-Hee! You said that your fiance is playing out a childhood fantasy. --- I know that men and women don't think alike. But, she wants to share this with the man that she loves. This is the beginning of what she hopes is a lifetime together. --- My husband was indifferent about our wedding plans. Over the years, he has made me feel that what he is doing... job, sport, whatever... is more important than anything that I could have going on. It hurts. I know what the scriptures say about who I am in Christ, but I want my man to love me as Christ loved the church. Women turn to their spouses for validation. Read Song of Solomon, for starters. Search the scriptures. Don't start out your marriage pretending you are interested. C'mon man... speaking from experience... it's easy to excuse yourself from things, in life, by saying you are not gifted in that area. My husband isn't gifted in listening, laundry, changing diapers, helping kids with homework, cooking, calling relatives... The list has not gotten shorter over the 25 years. I think it's great that you would at least ackowledge your weakness and ask for advice/guidance. Blessings!

This is a subject that the world loves to bash Christians about. I agree with amazingrace's post. --- I think God calls us to be "fruit inspectors". You just have to make sure that it is biblical and not an opinion. That's tricky, at times.

Yeah, Magdalene is on the right track. Talking is not going to do anything. It doesn't even help if the roles are reversed. Actions speak louder than words. It is a huge burden. Big Hug! I worked on my husband for many years, but it was when I started treating him like he was already the spiritual head of the home that the walls came down. --- I will pray that God will give you his supernatural strength and that He will quicken your parent's hearts to desire what you have in Christ. Blessings!

This is very true. By exposing it, it takes Satan's power out of it and Christ's light can shine through. Blessings!

Slinging mud, huh? So, everything is okay as long as you add IMO/JMHO? I'm sorry, I have just seen too much infidelity in my life. Satan doesn't attack, he seduces. I have never seen a success story. I have seen my brother-in-law beg for forgiveness on his knees, crying, swearing before God that he would never do it, again. But, again came over and over. His son followed in his father's footsteps. Ya, know? I'll stop with that. You have a big heart. May God richly bless you.

I'm sorry, but I have been a Christian a long time and Satan never tires of messing with us. He is very crafty and Spiritual warfare is very real. --- Draw close to the Lord, for now and the rest will follow. Satan would like nothing more than for you to get involved with someone, so it will take your eyes off Christ. Welcome to the family of God!

You can't just whip out your wallet and pay for the fine right there, either. Most states make you go before a judge and do traffic school AND it affects your insurance premiums. Who said that I would quit loving them and praying for them? And, besides the "enemy" I am referring to is Satan, not my spouse. I repeat... Satan is the enemy and he comes to steal, kill and destroy. With infidelity, something is stolen, killed AND destroyed. So, what about Jim Baker or Jerry Falwell? Were they unbelievers? A week? I'd still be crying after a week! --- Are you a cheater? Because, surely you can't be serious? I think you might be confusing tolerance with forgiveness. I'm not Hilary Clinton.

Have fun, after you lay all that on us???????????? I think I know what I would do, but I have never experienced it, sooooooo... I think I would have to have a separation and biblical counseling. If he couldn't go for that, then . I think he would use the kids to try to stay in the house, but that would be a big negative. I couldn't work on things with him in the house. MY concern would be very selfish and I think that, is biblical. You said When confronted?????????????? Only God knows the heart. I can't hold my husband's hand as we go through the pearly gates. He's responsible for his own free will. By allowing him to stay in the house tells my kids that anything goes. "What they don't know, won't hurt me". Well, there are consequences. There is a higher authority. When you get stopped for speeding... "I'm soooooo sorry officer!" But, you still get the ticket. I've seen infidelity in my family and each time it gets worse. I look at my daughter and I couldn't bear to watch her go through that. She is a child of a king. He calls her beloved and MY God does not want that life for his children. He created the universe. Why would he want little ol' me to go through that to get one person into heaven, when I can stand against the enemy and change history (generational sin)? Doesn't this nullify the marriage? Ya know, at the beginning of this post I said what I think I would do and you helped me KNOW what I would do. Thank you! Fof His Glory, Sisterchick

This is a tough one. Our pastor's wife has problems with MY daughter. She doesn't like how her daughter behaves, when my daughter is around. My daughter is a girlie girl with a big personality and the pastor's dtr is athletic and quieter. Does your mom blame your friend for your break up or anything? --- Is she not letting you do stuff with ANY of your friends? You're seventeen... are you looking more womanly? Speaking as a mom of teenagers, it is tough being a mom... especially a mom that works outside of the home. I worry about my kids. You hear things on the news, read horrible stuff in the newspapers... Sometimes we feel very helpless. It's easier to be harsh than it is to talk about it. How does a mom tell her daughter that she's scared? Won't you roll your eyes? --- If you were sexually active in your last relationship, then maybe she sees this 12-year old boy as unsafe. It could be alot of things. Is your mom a single parent? Where's your dad? I know that it's difficult to understand, but I'm guessing that she DOES have her reasons. I'm sure that she has your best interests at heart. Maybe she sees herself in you and SHE did something stupid when she was your age. Being a grown up lasts an awful long time. I will say a prayer for you.