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Thanks, Beth! You are so awesome! You always encourage me! One blessing in disguise maybe, one of his good friends at church (who is 7) has severe glaucoma...never heard of it in a kid so young, but she does perfectly well. Perhaps they are to be an encouragement to one another. Boy, God is smart, isn't He? With the people He brings into our lives.... I didn't know you had hearing and eye issues...God bless you!

lol, I live in Wisconsin, was born in Michigan, lived all over the midwest as a kid, but consider myself from St. Louis, MO (lived there the longest...4 years) and I say "y'all" all the time!! (confused yet??) Thanks!

Thanks again, Amazingrace and Leonard! I will try to remember when we hear for sure either way (may take a while for results) what the results were. Boy am I trying to raise all my kids (I also have 2 daughters who we are testing to see if they carry the gene) not to be spiritually blind. I would be REAALLLY SAD if that happened!

Thanks for the replies and prayers! It's good to know that this type of situation doesn't limit others and I know that it doesn't have to limit my son. My brothers have sort of resigned themselves to the *supposed* fact that they can't do anything they want to do in life because of their lack of sight. I pray for them because they are very depressed people. I want my son to see the good he can do regardless of his eyesight or other physical issues. I want to help him in that, I just feel a little overwhelmed I guess. Well, I don't even know if he has this yet or not, so maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, lol! Anyway, thanks!

I was just wondering about how other christians deal with the difficulties of disablities. My family carries a rare genetic eye disease called choroideremia and my brothers and one uncle have it. I am a carrier of the gene. (It is carried on the X chromosone, so females are carriers and males actually have the disease) My son has a 50/50 chance of getting the disease. He is 5 years old and we are having him tested this month. (his appointment is the 18th) Previously, we've already been through the ringer with him. He also has sensory integration dysfunction and has had ALOT of therapy for this (speech, physical, and occupational). He is doing great right now and he is starting kindergarten in Sept. I am just really really nervous about this eye disease. It will eventually cause total blindness (my brothers and uncle are in their 30's and all legally blind) there is no cure or treatment right now. I read online recently that there may be a connection between this disease and sensory problems, so that freaks me out a little. I don't know how I will handle it if they tell me he has it. I don't know how my husband will handle it. He likes to deny any and all problems...you know, don't talk about it and it will go away. It was awful, I felt like a single parent going through the sensory issues on my own because he (husband) would refuse to talk about it at all. I'm just very anxious right now, and guess I need to hear some encouragement, lol. I tend to put everything in a "worst case scenario" light because then if the worst happens, I won't be shocked, and if less than worse happens, I will be relieved. Know what I mean? Specifically, anyone here dealing with blindness? How do you handle it? Otherwise, how do any of you handle other problems like this or fear about things like this? What about my husband? How can I get a partner in dealing with this out of him? Thanks, I know it's a lot and I'm sort of talking all over the place, but I appreciate any input!

Cajun and Butterfly kisses... You are in my prayers!

I play: piano (sorta...lessons as a kid, but I rebelled when I was about 16 and stopped, now I wished I had kept it up, I'd be so much better!) alto horn (see same explanation as above, lol) Guitar (just learning) Tambourine (I know fancy-schmancy routines because I have been a part of The Salvation Army's tradition of brigades since I was 6 years old) and I sing!

I'm just learning guitar and I don't understand tabs yet, lol! However, I could play it on the keyboard.... I will have to do that!

He is living with another family now. We moved and our house didn't have a fenced in yard. We felt it was unfair to have him tied up outside or couped in the house all the time. So we found a happier home for him! He loves it!

I have two dogs. a rat terrier named "Ginger" and a mini-long haired dachshund named Frodo. They are cutie-pahtooties, but they know it!!! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Awwww I have two huge dogs. Both Australian Mountain Huskies. One a lighter shade of grey and another almost white but the feet are all dark grey. Both are 4 years old. Classic pure breed. I am trying to get them to be born again. So we can be in Heaven togather. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Lol! My hubby wants big dogs, but we ended up with little rat dogs! We did have a boxer for a while a few years back, though.

Yep! Let me elaborate a little bit...(BTW, I don't mind at all that you shared, Shelby!!) When Chris first moved in with our family, I had just gotten over a relationship with a person I was absolutely certain I was destined to marry...the problem was, he married another woman unexpectedly (talk about a smack in the face!) Well, I was not into looking for someone to marry or date because of my heartbreak. When Chris moved in, it was clear as day from God that he was the one I would marry. It scared me OUT OF MY MIND!!! LOL! I distanced myself from him. When he and Shelby dated, I distanced myself more because I wanted to honor their relationship. During that time I was trying to convince myself that I had not heard that from the Lord, but I knew I had heard it. Well, as Shelby said, they broke up and one night Shelby and I talked. I told her the truth about what I had heard from the Lord and she understood. That year we were married, she was my maid of honor and has stood by the both of us as a GREAT friend!! Yes, God also led her to her spouse who is a great guy (oddly he and my husband are SOOO much alike, it's scary!) Yes, I think God leads us to the person He has chosen for us to marry. I am so glad I listened!!!!!

[quote name='Bro David

This has been an interesting thread to read! Well, to go along with a few of the conversations.... 1. Nicotine as food: Well, I once had a dream that a friend gave me cigarrettes and I ate them (tasted like I would expect, but in the dream I really really liked them and craved them) I had this dream when I was about 13 years old. To this day, I have NEVER tried smoking anything and it is due to this dream. I think God sent this dream to dissaude me from smoking. Just a weird little known fact about Katie, lol! 2. I'm not a feminist. I like having doors opened for me! (wait... maybe I'm just lazy! ....nah! Just kidding!) 3. I don't know what else to type, lol!

Lol!!

Even though it is probably not your favorite story to share....thank you for sharing!! That is a perfect example of what we are discussing! I teach a teen class and once I had to talk to the girls (boys had their own session with a man) about abstinence. I put out a bowl of candy and a sign that said, "help yourself". However when they reached for it, I yelled at them to keep their hands off. They protested that the sign said "help yourself" and I protested back that I had the right to put that sign there, but I didn't really mean what it said. They were irrate with me! I explained that when we dress certain ways...that is exactly what some people see (a sign that says, "help yourself") and it is a little irrational of us to become upset if that is how people react to us. Regardless of what our intent may be or how we view ourselves, we also need to remember how others may view us. It stuck with many of them!

I'm pretty much with WIP and what she has posted in this thread. I think there needs to be a purpose, a reason, a result that glorifies God or brings people into the kingdom through tongues. That's why I believe in the "tongues" that are a real earthly language in order to tell someone something God needs them to hear, even if it is in a language you don't know. I had that happen to me. I am not very good at speaking spanish (getting better every day, but by no means fluent!) and it was a HUGE concern for me when I went on a missions trip to Peru last year. I prayed and prayed that I would be able to minister regardless of the language barrier. One day, we met a man and long story short I began talking to him in spanish. It was words I did not know, but when they came to mind, I knew how to say them and what they meant. It was words he needed to hear from God. It was really amazing! It also wasn't like I was overcome and couldn't control it or like I was "taken over" by God or anything (like portrayed in some hollywood enactments of such things) I knew what I was saying, and I understood, I also had the choice of not saying anything or saying it. I also believe in the "private" tongues, but I don't think that is to be shouted for the masses to hear...what is the purpose of that then? If it is between you and God, that's were it needs to be. There is no edification when sounds nobody understands are screamed or shouted in the middle of a gathering....just confusion, I think. (or perhaps someone wanting to glorify themselves.... ) I also think that the gift of "tongues" is given to us for a specific purpose and time. I don't think I (or anyone) can just "call up" the gift of tongues at any given time when WE feel like it. It needs to be Spirit driven. JMO I believe that ALL believers are baptized in the Holy Spirit and receive Him, regardless of tongues.

Awesome info, WIP! Thanks for sharing! I hope all our teens read this thread! I work with the teens at our church and will keep tabs on this info for them!

Kitty! You keep wearing your shirt! It is not "hateful", your shirt has nothing to do with hating anyone. It doesn't after all say "kill homosexuals" or anything, so it cannot be considered a "hate crime". You are simply stating your stance on a current issue. You CANNOT get in trouble for that, even if they try to suspend you or whatever, I would press the issue that the shirt had nothing to do with hate. Take it higher than your principal if you have to. I have been there. I went to public school all my life. (I graduated 11 years ago now, but it doesn't seem that long ago). I would wear christian shirts to school and there were those that tried to scare me out of wearing them by threatening suspension, or other discipline. I was never disrespectful, but I asked them to show me written documentation that what I was wearing was not my constitutional right to wear. There was never any proof shown to me. I also had a teacher who (history class) wanted me to participate in a fortune telling type activity as part of a final. I refused to participate. She berated me for showing discrimination because I would not play the game. I told her she could teach me, tell me, show me what it was this group of people believed in and did, but she could NOT make ME DO it. She threatened to fail me (after I had done A+ work up to that point) I told her to do what she felt she needed to do, but I was going to look into whether or not she could fail me based on what had happened. I took it before the school (principal, etc) and she didn't have a leg to stand on. They required her to give me a written exam and restore my grade to an A. I am proud of you! Don't let adults try to scare you into dictating what rights you do or don't have. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE A CHRISTIAN IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL!! Stand up for it! Jesus will help you! I will be praying for you!

AMEN!!!!!! Awesome post! Thank you so much for sharing your testimony!! I think you hit the nail square on the head! AWESOME!

That was me. Sorry, but my opinion is that if a girl is showing everything she has, than she can't wonder why it is thought that she's advertising it and a man thinks he can take liberties with whats pushed right in his face. I tell my daughter all the time - if it ain't for sale, don't advertise it. Now, if you are talking just plain "sexily", in other words, to look nice and attractive, than that's a different story. But I'm talking about tops that barely cover the "n" word and that's all, and shorts that, when you bend over, one can see what you had for breakfast. Sorry, that's my opinion. Neb, you misunderstand what I am saying. Believe me, I am no fashion horse. (Or clothes horse, or whatever it's called) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I could have said it too, WIP. (at least what I said could be construed as such) I do think that women/girls have a responsibility in what they wear and what they advertise as well. I am not trying to excuse men who assault women at all, regardless of what a woman wears, there is absolutely NO justification for assaulting her. HOWEVER! Young ladies need to understand that if they are going to flaunt it and expose all their goodies, there are sickos out there that will understand that to mean they are up for grabs (literally). We can't act shocked when we offer our bodies for men to oogle and then they take us up on that offer. KWIM? I think our society puts ALL of the responsibility on men, and women don't handle the responsibility that rests on their shoulders. My daughters are only 7 and 2, but my 7 year old is definately noticing the mature clothing and has interest in it. I am trying to teach her that it is not respectful to ourselves, to God, or to men (because of being a temptation) to dress that way. We need to be responsible. She doesn't understand all of that because she doesn't understand sexuality yet. Sometimes she thinks I'm just being a "mean mom", but I feel I must start to teach her these things now.