kodischild

Here WE go again.....someone has an honest question in mind and some people get their claws out and go in swinging. Heaven forbid we ever lovingingly answer an honest question instead of condemning the question as stupid, making accusations about justifying a lifestyle, and threats about consequences.

Wonderful! Aren't you glad you didn't stumble into something with him when he isn't worth it?

I suggest reading them again anyway. I got so much more out of them when I read them as an adult. Lewis wrote them as children's books, but adults enjoy them, too.

How wonderful that you are doing something to help work it out. God has gotten me through my toughest times. Sometimes I have to turn things over to Him every few minutes for awhile. Still, I ask Him to take my problems and control them, then I put them out of my mind. When I find myself worried again, I turn them back over to Him and focus on something else. I find that repeating positive Bible verses to myself as I go to sleep helps me.

Not judging and loving your neighbor as yourself seem to be the same thing to me. Just hear me out on this one. AT some point I could have been described as mean, vicious, cruel, lying, and a greedy snake. Maybe I don't do it often, but I know I have said things that hurt people. I know I have spent money on myself that could have gone to the hungry. Here is the strange part, I don't consider myself a bad person. I make excuses for myself. I wouldn't have said that mean thing if she hadn't started it. I didn't want to lie, but the truth would have hurt him. I wasn't being cruel when I told her that she needed to go on a diet, I was trying to be honest and help her get healthy. It isn't my fault she went home and cried for hours. Or I tell myself that I'm not usually like this, so it all balances out in the end. So I do the same thing with other people. I don't know what they have been through, I don't know what motivates them, I don't know what their relationship with God is. So I give them the benefit of the doubt just like I would hope other people do for me. In the gospels I don't read that Jesus lived in lala land while they ate Him alive. He healed people, then told them to stop sinning. He told people when they were doing the wrong thing, or thinking the wrong way. He taught with patience, but not weakness. What I mean is there is a difference in how you express things as a Christian. Telling someone that you love them, forgive them, but can't be around them if they are going to treat you a certain way, or if they continue in a certain sin is one thing. You can express that as a message of hope-that you know they can be a good person and you want the best for them. Now, telling them that they are a sinner, useless, you hate them, and they ARE greedy and mean, and their head is full of dog poop-not the Christian way. That is judging. That is "you aren't good enough for me, watch me look down on you" kind of judging. I think that is the stuff we are supposed to avoid.

Not well enough. I used to know them all, but some have moved, some have died, and some take their kids inside when they see me outside. I'm not going to bug them I hope to make cookies and deliver them to folks this Christmas and try to make some friends that way. People always like you better when you bring food.

Don't be afraid to talk to God about this when you pray. Sometimes it helps me to tell Him, "God, I can't focus, my thoughts are bouncing off the ceiling, I'm being interrupted by my own mind. I don't know if I want to stop sinning, but I know I should and I know I should want to. So I am asking you to help me stop sinning and get back in touch with you. Help me love you." He knows your struggles, but talk to Him about them. Tell Him like you would a friend. He is big enough to handle your doubts. Isn't there a scripture that goes something like Lord I do believe, but help my unbelief I pray? Someday I'll learn to remember where I find things, but for now I think it is out there. Finally, this happens to the best of us. David had his down days. Paul had his thorn. Most important of all, Jesus had a moment on the cross where He felt like God had forsaken Him. Certainly He knew that God was there, but that is head knowledge. Keep your head pointed in the right direction. Your heart is sure to follow.

I see that you live in Michigan too. Snow is just part of our winter weather. As far as my screen name, I used to be known as Snowgoose. Then I changed it to Snow4JC, well actually George came up with the name. Where is Michigan do you live? I live in Rockford just north of Grand Rapids. Snow I live in Fremont. It is also north of Grand Rapids, but it takes a bit longer. About an hour most of the time.

I don't know why, but I have noticed the same thing. Maybe it is easier for them to see someone else's sin than to see their own. (Plank in your own eye and such.) Afterall, who cares about their "minor" sins if they can spend time picking on someone else's "major" sins? Perhaps it is because they like to feel superior? Or maybe they think they are helping others to avoid sin. I think we should be very proud of those people we know have overcome so much. What a wonderful chance they have to witness to others who are in the same situation!

Yeah! What he said!

Does anyone know what happened with this? I can't seem to find anything. Ok, I could keep looking, but if you knew off the top of your head that would be nicer.

I used to have a huge problem with this. Or I was huge because I had a problem with this. It could go either way. I would eat to fill up the hole in my life, then the hole would get bigger because I hated myself for eating like that. And since I felt bad anyway, what would eating a pie hurt? So I ate the pie.....Can you see where that ended up. I'm doing much better now, too. I'm glad to hear that you are taking positive steps in your life. Sorry to hear about your mother, but if it is the worst thing she ever does I guess you'll just have to love her anyway. We do need to discuss your screen name. You realize that those first 4 letters are snow? Must you really remind me that the white stuff exists? I have the curtains drawn and am studiously pretending that it has never existed, or at least couldn't happen here.

No, I don't think that WE can heal people by praying for them and having faith. That would mean God answers to us. I think God has every right to say "no" if he has something else planned. How can we possibly know what His reasons are for letting a person die, or even letting them be sick. Often we can see later why bad things had to happen the way they did. Sometimes God doesn't reveal the reasons to us. I see no reason why we should lose faith over that.

Well, if we are wandering this direction anyway...... At the National Training Center in CA they have 4 restroom buildings. They rotate which one is the famale's so there are urinals in all of them. The big, long trough type ones. Every rotation we went out on we had to explain to the new girls that they did NOT want to brush their teeth is that long sink over there. Every rotation there were girls who still did it.

I suppose I can see both sides of this topic. The mega churches do seem to be very commercial and I think they have to be very careful to remain a place of worship instead of becoming a place of business. They need to remember that they are offering ministry, not services. I do like the idea of having "milk" services and "meat" services so you can attend the same church and still be challenged to keep growing. On the other hand, our little church just can't offer the types of ministry that the people need. I love the people in our church, but they are mostly retired. I wish there were more people my age who are in the same place in life that I am. We lose most of the young families because we don't have enough youth to have any youth programs. Only without the youth programs we are never going to have the youth..... I guess there is a place for each type of church. Besides, I don't think you can judge a church based on size. There are good and bad in either type of church. I guess I'm drawn to a church based on the people who go there. If Spirit filled people are pouring out of the church doors then they must be doing something right.