Prodigalson123

Hey all! As some of you know who have spoken to me over the years, I am a disabled guy since 2009. I am trying to get employment from home on the computer to augment my income. We just bought a house and we are ok financially, but I would like to do a little better. My goal is to work part-time (no more than $1000.00 a month) so we can pay off the house in 15 years so if the event happens that I don't live long enough to see the 30-year note paid off, I would ask that you pray that an opportunity presents itself that would meet this need. Thanks so much.. Jerry O

Hi there, I feel your pain. We lost the entire circle of friends when I became a believer. Now to be honest, I was a zealot, so it was my own doing. But the reality is they haven't come back as I have gotten better at not being obnoxious. That was 16 years ago. But the LORD provides other friends over time. My church family is awesome, I have had health issues since and the church is there at every turn to help. Although it seems bleak, remember the Israelites decided to turn back to Egypt and slavery not truting that God had better for them further down the road. Trust in our LORD that better things are in store.

Hi there. I was in your husbands position not long ago. I can tell you that prayer is what is needed, as God is the only one who can (and will) change his heart. I was a believer for 11 years before my wife came to the faith, but I was selfish and self serving. I treated her horribly. I acted like she was my property, but Ephesians 4:30 changed my heart Keep praying that God will impact Him. The lesson might not be exclusively for him, but rather God wants you to get so close to Him, that your husband has to fight through the glory of our LORD to get to you. I'll keep praying for you

well I can tell you I used to belong to a site that was run mostly by European atheists and they believe all Christians are like WBC. The amount of damage control I used to have to do just to try and get a balanced conversation was ridiculous, both from the junk WBC did, and the fact that these "intelligent" people couldn't see that not every Christian is like a person who "claims" to be one.

Oh boy do I have thoughts about this lol. My responses will be in italics So I have decided that I needed to leave as this was nothing but rancorous. They heard the truth, now it's time for the Holy Spirit tp do the work Satan had a massive triumph when he introduced political-correctness and it's extremely frustrating to fight it. We cannot speak out against sexual depravity because it is being seen as hateful towards homosexuals and adulterers, we cannot speak out against Islamic terrorism because it is being portrayed as being hateful towards Muslims, and we cannot speak out against Marxist policies because it is seen as being hateful towards the poor. As you might imagine, the site is very leftist, and that's fine as I truly think that we are trying to accomplish (politically) the same thing, but the venom form the liberal left is really laughable. Many people believe that Satan is a nasty, vindictive hater who brings violence to the World, but Satan is a sweet-talking peacemaker, who acts with a veneer of kindness and compassion. Any violence or hatred that he brings, he brings later. At first he comes waving the flag of peace. Satan disguises himself as God. So many people do not realise this and this is our biggest challenge when it comes to fighting evil, because most people do not see it as being evil. How are we expected to fight an enemy when so many do not understand who the enemy is? So at the moment I can only be content to let the deniers, the fallen and the ignorant hold the moral high ground. Let them keep it for as long as they can. We can only tell people about the lie and spread the word of Salvation. Those with ears will listen to us and those without won't. A day will come when we will all have to confront evil face-to-face. Let us hope that we are wearing the full armour of God when we do so. Meanwhile, we just have to keep strolling on and gather as many as we can to fight the good fight. But it's the lie that really bothers me, the fact that good is being called evil and evil is being called good. Sometimes I just don't know how to cope with this. I find this the hardest struggle of all. I sometimes wish it was a simple all-out battle between good and evil but at the moment it's not, it's just a war of deceit. That's why I can only leave the moral high ground to those who wish to take it. I don't claim to hold any moral ground any more like I used to - I just try to speak the truth (even though I'm living in an ocean of lies) and hope that there are some who will be able to see that truth. I don't see, at this moment in time, what else there is that I can do! Any thoughts?

1 Chronicles 29 29 And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the LordGod. 2 So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble. 3 Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God: 4 3,000 talents[a] of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house,[b] 5 and for all the work to be done by craftsmen, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself[c]today to the Lord?”

exactly what I was going to say....... Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

What I have observed about this ( and unfortunately many other topics as well) is that we as a Christian community seem to think that we have an obligation to legislate our ethics/morality/ethos whatever you want to call it, and that will somehow make someone realize the "error" of their ways. We (Christians) aren't to condone sin, we aren't to take part in it, but we (The US) aren't exclusively a Christian society, and we aren't a theocracy (although I wish we were). So how are we to interact with those who don't share our outlook? And how are we to act when we don't have a majority vote? Remember someday we will be the minority (Revelation says so) and if we are showing so little respect for a differing opinion then you shouldn't be surprised when the table will be turned and we will be called to be "arrested" for our thoughts.

he is from my denomination, and we use alot of his material for Sunday School topics, I think he is very good, but he is a deep thinker and it isn't for those who aren't interested in uncomfortable topics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7670CXvPX0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

One of the elders in our men's study group says that when we accepted Christ, then "eternity" with Him started that moment. So in effect, you are already "home". I understand what you desire, I have many health challenges (not to mention life in general) but the LORD is good, and He has decreed you be here, with us, for a while longer. Take heart the He knows your longing for home, and will bring you to Himself when the assignments He has for you are done.

I have no problem with a blanket, or a garment that opens so expose as little as possible of the mothers breast. The Greek word for "modesty" is euschēmosynē which is defined as The idea of being "elegant" and having decorum is an integral part of this. The "idea" or concept that you don't want to offend or put another brother/sister in a situation of discomfort/alarm/offense should be enough for a Christian to understand that many people have different levels of comfort regarding public nudity, for whatever reason. Swimming certainly isn't a sexual activity, but I don't want an eyeful then either. The mother should be sensitive enough to what is appropriate in public,and changing cultural morays aren't the yardstick, rather scripture should be. As to "handling it the wrong way" that is an opinion that is formed by the culture, not objective truth.

well, for all that it's worth, being a former restaurant mgr, I think it's in poor taste to be uncovered and nursing. Just because a law says it's "legal" doesn't make it right. Do I need to cite the laws of the land that are on the books as we speak and we might actually agree that the idea is absurd? In the end, there are plenty of things that while on private property you can't do because the owner doesn't allow it. A shopping mall can institute a rule about gang colors/explicit t-shirts/whether you are allowed to carry a knife etc on their grounds, while those items might be "legal" that doesn't mean that the private owner has to allow it. But as usual this country is more interested in pushing the individuals rights as opposed to common sense. And btw, I don't think this would have had any traction if it wasn't CFA, due to the recent definition of marriage controversy that ensued. Again, my opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it

Sorry I'm so late to the party I was the guy in the relationship that is often described here. For 11 years I treated my wife as my property, as someone who should be doting on me. After she told me that she was a pagan (we were married in a Christian church) and didn't believe my "god" existed, it threw me. I resolved to "show her she was wrong" and I began to really study the Bible so I could show her where she was wrong. In the process, I actually became a Christian, as opposed to a charlatan. Ephesians 4:30 was the verse that changed me. After realizing that I could grieve the Holy Spirit, and then I read that I would have to answer to God for the way I treated His daughter, That was the beginning. After that, staying in the Word, learning what God expected from a husband, and learning what it means to honor your wife was the next step. Finally we went to "A Weekend To Remember" and that was the difference. We spent the weekend learning what spouses are supposed to look like/act/feel and not the twisted ways we were taught by the world. We now are going on 19 years, and have had 8 years of good years. Let the LORD do His work, pray unceasingly for your friends/self in regards to the relationship, and submit to the LORD. That's the only way to have Him heal the marriage. I hope this helped, and feel free to contact me if there are any questions I can answer for you.

thanks for the input folks. That was where I was, realizing that I have to move on. But I wanted to make sure I wasn't jumping the gun and giving in to my anger and disappointment

Ok, folks. Need to set the history here to give you the correct context, and then I need to hear what you think I should do. February of 2009 we had friends move into our house. We offered them to move in with us, as we had alot of room. They were living with the parents of the wife of the couple, who have 3 children ranging in ages from 11-16. They had lived with the parents for the better part of 14 years. But the trouble with the situation was the two couples of adults couldn't get along. This became an exacerbated problem to the point that the four adults, who went to the same church together, were visibly antagonistic to each other, and the rest of the congregation could see it. Eventually this was so bad that the older couple were chastised by their pastor who sided with the younger couple and told the older couple to leave the church because they were "unshepherdable". The accusations included sexual inappropriateness from the step father to the adult daughter, but it supposedly happened 15 yrs earlier. So, the younger couple said they would move in with us in Feb. They took until August to move in. We had broken our lease to move into the house we were to share, the house is owned by my sister. But we broke our lease with the landlord we were with 3 months early, incurring $3000.00 more expenses due to the increased rent. But August finally came, and then they moved in. 12 weeks later they moved out as their dog, a malamute, attacked our dog 8 times, that dog also attacked the neighbors dog almost killing it, biting their son on the hand, and snarling and lunging at me. They moved out in November, with 1 days notice. They had been told that the dog situation was untenable They had to do something as I wouldn't allow my dog, or my family to be at risk anymore, as they were not taking the necessary steps to solve the problem. They decided that they couldn't give up their dog, understandable (although I don't agree with the decision) so they moved in 1 night. The dog did damage to the house, tearing up the trim and the door in a room they used to contain the dog in. The dog tore up the window sills in the living room, and peed on the hardwood floors upstairs in my son's room and it turned the floor black. When they left, the husband came back during their move out, and spoke to me trying to smooth over the situation. I told him that if we were going to be ok in our relationship, two things had to happen. 1) That all their stuff had to be out of my house by the end of the month, 2 weeks time to move out the items. and 2) that the damage be fixed, as this wasn't my house. To date, 18 moths later, he still hasn't fixed the floor. When we spoke originally in Nov of 09, I said that I forgave them and that the repairs were the contingency to our being ok with each other. He now doesn't understand why the anger and the "unforgiving" spirit is back in me. I cited Matthew 5:40&41, Leviticus 6:1-5, Luke 15:18, and Matthew 5:23, 24, as examples of scripture that states how a person is to settle a grievance with their brother and how to fix it. He doesn't get it. At what point do I cut ties and stop trying? Thanks for your help

From Matthew Henry's concise commentary Hebrews 6:1-8 Every part of the truth and will of God should be set before all who profess the gospel, and be urged on their hearts and consciences. We should not be always speaking about outward things; these have their places and use, but often take up too much attention and time, which might be better employed. The humbled sinner who pleads guilty, and cries for mercy, can have no ground from this passage to be discouraged, whatever his conscience may accuse him of. Nor does it prove that any one who is made a new creature in Christ, ever becomes a final apostate from him. The apostle is not speaking of the falling away of mere professors, never convinced or influenced by the gospel. Such have nothing to fall away from, but an empty name, or hypocritical profession. Neither is he speaking of partial declinings or backslidings. Nor are such sins meant, as Christians fall into through the strength of temptations, or the power of some worldly or fleshly lust. But the falling away here mentioned, is an open and avowed renouncing of Christ, from enmity of heart against him, his cause, and people, by men approving in their minds the deeds of his murderers, and all this after they have received the knowledge of the truth, and tasted some of its comforts. Of these it is said, that it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance. Not because the blood of Christ is not sufficient to obtain pardon for this sin; but this sin, in its very nature, is opposite to repentance and every thing that leads to it. If those who through mistaken views of this passage, as well as of their own case, fear that there is no mercy for them, would attend to the account given of the nature of this sin, that it is a total and a willing renouncing of Christ, and his cause, and joining with his enemies, it would relieve them from wrong fears. We should ourselves beware, and caution others, of every approach near to a gulf so awful as apostacy; yet in doing this we should keep close to the word of God, and be careful not to wound and terrify the weak, or discourage the fallen and penitent. Believers not only taste of the word of God, but they drink it in. And this fruitful field or garden receives the blessing. But the merely nominal Christian, continuing unfruitful under the means of grace, or producing nothing but deceit and selfishness, was near the awful state above described; and everlasting misery was the end reserved for him. Let us watch with humble caution and prayer as to ourselves.

I heard Beck on the radio as well, and it must have been the same day Dave heard him as he was very vocal about his Mormonism. I was leery about following him on spiritual matters, and the general reference to "god" isn't sufficient for Christians. I had a two year study with JWs on Mondays, and they tried to show me the similarities that we shared over the differences we had. The only difference that mattered, was I believe Jesus is LORD, and they don't. That point of contention they wouldn't speak to. So we stopped. But Martin Luther said that when speaking to another religious group, you must engage them at the point where their doctrine differs from Christianity. We can't settle on the whole lets talk about what we share, if there are fundamental differences on the issues of the faith, the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, the denial of works salvation etc.

Yep, when you invoke "God" that is one thing. But when you announce the fact that you are still a Mormon and are telling everyone that faith is what we are called to, that's another. I don't disagree with his trumpet, but the problem is thta he worships a different god then we do, and Mormonism denies the deity of Christ. 2 Things that aren't able to be overlooked. If he goes back to the political rhetoric and exposing hypocrisy, then he'll get his audience back.

They can burn all the flags they want. It does not bother me. Maybe we should burn more books. Or, we could act like Christians and turn it over to God in prayer. OUTSTANDING!!!! That is the reaction we should go to first, and then the Lord will direct what/if anything/ is next.

Many churches have their clicks. Unfortunately, you are either in or out. I have always been "out" because I am not going to play the games it requires to fit into their little social clubs. I used to care what people thought about me and I had a strong desire to be accepted by them. The realization finally hit me that I was happy with who I was, and I did not need to be accepted by others to be content. That's the natural reaction, but we are called to turn from our "nature" Paul speaks about being all things to all people. Now that certainly doesn't mean to be a hypocrite and not be genuine. But the fact that what people think about us does matter. being true to yourself character-wise is the key, but the "idea" that it doesn't matter what the others in your church, local "body of Christ" think about you isn't scriptural.

the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Hey NYO, I know how you feel. There are times I wish that I had more deep relationships, as it is I have 2 friends 1 believer and 1 pagan. The believer is far from regular in their calling me back when I call him and it breaks my heart when I appeal to him to have a constant or deeper relationship, and he doesn't. He never shares and speaks about scripture and Christian issues, but claims that he is a solid Christian. To be truthful, the pagan and I have much deeper theological discussion. But, that just means that I haven't come across the ones that the Lord has in store for me. There are times when solitude is needed. This might be a time when God wants you to draw close to Him as opposed to relying on human companionship. When the time is right, there will be a friend provided for you. I don't pretend to know what the Lord's will is, but have faith. Count me as someone you can talk to and we can seek His answers together.