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I agree with this. I am a pretty modest dresser, but still try to be trendy. I like the long skirts that are in vogue now that are sort of stretchy and silky. Problem was, they all had a slit up to the crotch. I just sewed the slits back together and it was fine. I don't think I have to be covered from my chin to my ankles either. I have no problem with exposed arms in the summer or swimsuits, even two pieces as long as they aren't dental floss. (I like the two piece that is a halter top that is longer over the stomach and the shorts for bottoms) I think it is not the best to have to always be tugging and pulling at clothes so nothing will inadvertantly "pop" out, so I think that needs to be considered. And as someone who plays in the band on stage at our church and sings in the worship team, I totally see Mr Irish's point about what is appropriate on the platform! I agree with him on that! Ok, I am away from my original thought! Lol! Anyway....I have certain clothes that are "sexy" but I keep them at home. I do not need to look sexy for anyone other than my husband. I will wear for him what he admires when we are at home (for example, we went on vacation together and I bought a dental floss type swimsuit to wear in our own room because we had a whirlpool in our hotel room, but I would never wear it in public), but I don't want that attention from any other man, so I will not advertise to the general public. I do want to look pretty and sophisticated and stylish in public, but I can do that without baring my cleavage or mid-driff or upper thighs.

I pretty much feel the same way. I think of what Paul writes in Romans about food. Let me find it.........Ah! Romans 14:5-6

I completely understand what you are saying. I too feel discouraged to see people on the street corners basically picking fights with passers-by and yelling and shaking their fist at them, and calling it evangelism. HOWEVER, as was brought up, balance is very nessecary and there are times when we must share the wrath of God as well as His love. Otherwise, we can be mislead into false doctrines and we can mislead others. We are warned in 2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teacher in accordance to their own desires." We cannot only accept the truths we WANT to hear about God, but all of the truths He has given in His word.

I think this is a very good post! I have read through the thread and have to admit, I don't claim to understand all of the prophecies in Daniel, Revelation, etc...I read and pray that I would know what the Lord wants me to know from them. What I DO know is that whether Jesus returns pre or post trib... I need to be prepared. I need to follow Him day by day and be the witness, the person He has asked me to be. I have to test everything against scripture, pray about decisions, and be willing to accept the answers He gives me. I need to not follow the crowd (in the case of the anti-christ) and not jump on bandwagons just because those around me jump on them. I have to bring EVERYTHING to Christ and place it all at His feet. Yes, we need to read scriptures and seek understanding in these matters, but we also have to remember that none of us know the day and time of His return so to argue over who is "right" and what "proof" they have is pointless...just be prepared for whatever His will may be.

LOL! Well, I'm not much of a rioter....BUT......to set the record straight....Pampered Chef stoneware needs to be "seasoned" much like cast iron cookware. They are in fact VERY easy to clean..you just run them under hot water once they've cooled to room temp and scrape with the nylon scraper. You DON"T use soap! The brown residue that gets left is not *gross* (lol) but "seasoned" and that is what gives it a non-stick finish. Trust me on this! "my stone isn't dirty....it's well loved!"

I love those too! Some really hit home, don't they?!

I love you too! I know God sent you to be with me that day!

I was one of those new friends Shelby met! And I am soo grateful as well! She is such a blessing to my life...words can't properly express... Ok, enough sappiness!! lol! (I'm getting all emotional!) Anyway, my parents are officers (ordained ministers) in The Salvation Army. I was born into it as my church home. My dad comes from a VERY poor family. His mother had 13 children, (4 died very young), of which he is the youngest. His father died when he was only 6 weeks old. They lived in a one room house in the Upper pennisula of Michigan (very cold in winter) with no indoor plumbing. The Salvation Army reached out and helped his family. Not only with material things, but emotionally and most importantly spiritually as well. My dad remembers coming home from a service when he was sixteen and talking to his mom about it and then kneeling down beside her chair and accepting the Lord. That is what he was most grateful to the Army about. Introducing him to God. He met my mother in seminary for The Salvation Army. Granted, people in The Army can be stupid and make bad decisions, but that happens in any given group. Are things perfect? No, but the intentions and motivations are out of a love of Christ and a desire to do His will. That is why I am still here (a part of the Army). When I see kids (teens) make a decision to follow Christ...when I hug a teary eyed mother who is able to pick out christmas gifts for her kids, when that seemed impossible, when I hear testimonies of men who were strung out on drugs, but now cleaned up and helping others in that situation, I am grateful for the Lord and to be a part of something that strives to follow Him and bring hope, healing, and a new life to others. Sorry to ramble on so much like an infomercial, but I am being very sincere. Thanks for listening!

I am awed by the bravery and honesty in this thread. To be sure, this is a difficult topic. I understand a lot of what everyone is saying. I just want to mention, though, that forgiveness or compassion does not make what these people did "ok". Forgiveness means giving up your justified right to retaliate. It doesn't mean you allow the wrong doing to continue or happen again. It doesn't mean consequences aren't faced. Isn't this what happened between each of us and Jesus? He would be totally justified in retaliating against us for the sins we've committed. However, not only did he lay that right down, but He took that punishment for us. Does that mean it was ok to do the things we did against Him? No. Does it mean we should be allowed in continuing to do them? No. Do we still face consequences for our sins even though we've been forgiven and spared from Hell? Yes...disease, broken relationships, financial emotional and physical hurt can all be results of sin that we must face. When somebody does an awful thing, we want justice to be done, especially when the person shows no remorse for their actions. Yes, it can infuriate a person when this is the case. I know, I've been there. THere are 2 situations in my life where I have had to wrestle forgiveness to the ground, but eventually it won. When I was a child, there was a man in our extended family who molested me. When I became an older teen and young adult, the situation began to haunt me once more. This person, in the mean-time, had married a christian woman and was led to Lord. He was truly sorry and asked my forgiveness. I at first said I forgave him out of a want to forgive, but I didn't know if it was in my heart. I struggled with anger a long time, but I prayed that I would one day mean the words "I forgive". Eventually, I was able to mean it, and the thing is, it did not restore HIM at all, but it was the beginning of MY HEALING. I see him at family functions and such, but we are not tight-knit. He is not to be alone with my children and he knows and respects that. Yes, I love him but it is hard. The other situation has to do with a friend of a family member who hurt my son. Now, mamas.....you know how it cuts when someone hurts your child. Well, I was furious!!!!! When I confronted this person....he totally denied the entire thing and and to this day acts as if he is wrongly accused and the victim here. Yes, I'd love to wallop him good and I think that I would be "justified" at least in the world's view. However, what I am dealing with in the aftermath of this event, is that same struggle with forgiveness. Legally, justice is done, but personally it's hard to feel like that's enough. I'm working on laying down my right to "wallop" him. I'm working on keeping that bitterness at bay so it will not ruin me. I pray for help with that. I also pray that he would feel conviction for his actions and seek forgiveness. Some days I don't care if he is forgiven, but I know that is not the attitude the Lord would want me to nurture. I deep deep down, do hope he turns and follows the Lord. If he doesn't the Lord will "wallop" him a whole lot stronger than I ever could. Anyway...all that to say that forgiveness is hard, but it is something we need to search for like a treasure. I pray for each of my brothers and sisters here and I love you!! God bless!

Absolutely, Keith!!!! When I was in Peru last summer on a missions trip, one of the first tasks I was given was going to a prison to teach a routine with tambourines to "Onward Christian Soldiers". I at first assumed it was a women's prison (why would men want to play a tambourine?!) but I found myself, with a teammate, in a small concrete room with 10 tough looking guys and the host pastors 17 year old daughter as a chaperone! I was skeptical at first (whether they would enjoy the lesson or not) but they were very grateful for the time we had and practiced hard. We had about 4 sessions that week and then they performed the routine in front of the entire prison at that week's worship service. They did great!! Many of the men ended up witnessing to me in fact! I was sad to leave my pupils, but I pray for them and keep the picture of our class close to my heart! They are wonderful walking testimonies of what it means to know the meaning of "hope", "faith",and "redemption". They are such blessings to me, regardless of what had happened in the past, they are new creations in Christ. BEAUTIFUL!!! Thanks for the post, Keith!!!

Thanks, Eric! In the US we call 'em (er..ourselves... ...lol) sallies too! Thanks for you words of encouragement!

Shelby! You are soo right, HOW GREAT IS THE COMPASSION OF THE LORD!! He would probably tackle those dishes with ya!

That is a beautiful post, UF! I would probably do the same!!

Yep! I, too, am a member of The Salvation Army church. As, Shelby said, it is run by people and in any given group of people there are those who do wrong...however, (as pointed out by many others) this claim just doesn't hold too much water. Sure, The Salvation Army is not perfect, but I also beleive that we do a lot of good in Jesus name and we are a part of it because we love the Lord and want to spread the Good News of His love and hope for all people. Shelby said " we have nothing to hide" and I believe that is true as well. I pray for the person who thought up this letter.

By the way, (forgot to mention) his heart procedure turned out fine and everything looks good with his heart. However, they found some growths in his lungs (he is a smoker) and he is now getting checked for lung cancer. Please keep that situation in prayer as well. Thank you all my brothers and sisters!!

I can hardly contain myself (I'm at work, but I feel like yelling! (in a good way)) I just got off the phone with him and we had a GREAT talk!! It started out as small talk because, like I said it's been years, but then we started talking as if we've talked with each other on a daily basis for all those years. He actually brought up the subject of the Lord and how he's quit drinking (sober for about 12-13 years now) and then I just came out and asked him where his spiritual life was. He said that 1. God has blessed him so much and 2. that he is glad to have the Lord as his savior!!!!!!!!! I wanted to jump up and down!! We prayed together on the phone and I could hear great emotion as he thanked me for calling and praying for him all these years. I told him that even though we had not been in touch I prayed for him and I loved him and that he was a special person to me. He said, "I know, God has let me feel your love across the miles". I also told him about the dream I had and he said that was funny because about a week ago he dreamt that he was a teen again(when he was living with us) and he was talking to my dad and my dad was telling him about God. He said he woke up and tried to get back to sleep to finish the conversation, but he couldn't. He was planning on calling my dad to discuss some spiritual things. He talked about how his heart went out to Tsunami victims and those without food or shelter and how he prays for them and wants to help them, but because he's disabled, he doesn't know how, so he just prays. I told him that was wonderful, the best thing to do is pray. I am just so grateful to God for this day and this conversation. Thank you all of you as well for your prayers and support! What a wonderful thing to be a part of the family of God! As we hung up we promised to keep in touch with one another on a more regular basis. Again thank you all!

Thanks, Shelle! I really needed those words of encouragement. I just got off the phone with his sister and she gave me 3 numbers to reach him. I need the encouragement because now I'm all of a sudden scared to call, but I know I will and I know I have to! I am going to! Please, everyone if it crosses your mind, say a quick prayer for me as I talk to him! Thanks!! I really appreciate it!

Thanks! Yes, I did tell him about salvation and accepting Jesus Christ as a personal Savior when I was a teen (when I saw him at the family gathering). I wish I could go to him right now this instant (and if the opportunity is presented I will go) but he lives like 10 hours away from where I live. I am getting in touch with my dad to see what possibilities there are to get in touch with him. Thank you all!

I normally don't post in this forum because I don't really know too much about prophecy and end times and such, but I have experienced some prophetic dreams, visions, etc about specific people and specific situations in their lives. Anyway....I was curious about what others had to say about a recent experience... I have a cousin who is about 12 years older than me and we share the same birthday. He had a very troubled childhood and lived with us for a while when he was a young teen. I was just a baby then and don't remember him living with us, but have pictures, etc. Well, he moved back home and got married and lived a wild lifestyle (parties, drinking etc..) and had 3 children, but marital problems, financial problems etc. I always felt a strong connection to him and always felt a strong burden to pray for him. When I was about 13 or 14 years old, he went through a period of being homeless and he lost contact with his kids and was disabled due to a motorcycle accident a few years before that. He seemed very desparate at that time and I prayed non-stop for him. Our family had a reunion about 2 years after that and he was there. It was the first time any of us had seen him for about 2 years. When he saw me he hugged me and said, "I know you've prayed...that's all that has given me hope....your faith makes me see that God has to be real". I was crying and told him that I did pray and that God loved him and God was real. He did not make any commitment to Christ (at least that I was aware of) at that time and it was another year until my family saw him after that. I was not able to see him the next time my family went to visit, but my parents had a video camera and he recorded a message to me. He was teary and said he wished I was there to see him and he thanked me for my prayers. I still watch that message every now and then and I still pray for him a lot! All of that was about 10 years ago. Just last week, he came to mind again and I started praying more for him again. I had a dream that he was in a field with a lot of people surrounding him saying, "come on, it's time! it's time to go!" and they were trying to grab him. He kept pushing them away saying, "no, I"m not ready...I have to talk to Katie....it's not time yet" and I woke up. My dad just told me that he is in the hospital having heart surgery this week. He said he asked for my phone number. I just want to know what you all make of this. I hope to hear from him and I want to talk with him about the Lord. He is so special to me and I want him to know the Lord and have hope in Christ. Thanks for reading my post and for any input you may have!

That is wonderful to hear!!!!! I have been praying because I know how concerned you were for your husband in particular! Praise the Lord! You and your family continue to be in my prayers.

I was thinking the same thing. Well, not the part about Castro, because I didn't know that, but the rest of it, I was thinking as well.