For Him Alone

Hey sis, Yep, we disagree on this one. My heart is full of the Lord, as you know, and I can still enjoy a good vampire novel now and then. Perhaps God will spank me for it someday, but He will also thank me for bringing lost souls to His throne, which I think is more on his mind than Harry Potter... Hi wordsower, I love and respect you too! And I pray for you too! :blush: Now, do i believe that authors are inspired by God? Shucks, I don't know. Was Shakespeare inspired by God? most would say yes, he was very gifted. JK Rowling? I don't know--I think the work is fun and inspiring and takes people out of their problems for a while, as fiction is supposed to do. Were the writers of fairy tales inspired by God? Any parent who reads their child to sleep with Snow White or Cinderella will tell you YES! haha You know, actually, probably not. The writers of the Bible were inspired by God, but I don't think divine inspiration flows this rampantly. I think God gave us all our imaginations, though, and that makes them inspired in THAT way-- I'm just not going to agree with the "all fantasy and magical fiction is evil" line of thinking. I think it's wrong! You never answered--anybody--my question about other magic in other tales...if magic is wrong in fiction, it's wrong. Not in some works but in ALL works. Think before you answer... :???:

Correct-amundo! We also have communion once a month, on the last Wednesday evening of the month. We are a seeker-oriented church, and Wednesdays are deeper Bible-study times, mostly for us BELIEVERS, so we do our communion then so the seekers won't feel weird or left out or confused. People don't tend to come to The Brook (wedneday service) unless they are saved. This is the one thing on which my beliefs lie closer to the CC than the protestant view--when I take communion I feel Christ INSIDE me. I feel the holy Spirit all over me. I tend to believe that Christ is manifested in the bread and wine. That it really IS His body and blood. It's very sobering and humbling and fills me with love and gratitude! :inlove:

I think that lumping all aliens into a single stereotype is unfair! Honestly though, it is very prideful for humans on earth to believe that God created all these billions and billions of planets and only put ONE bi-pedal intelligent life form on ONE planet? Very very doubtful! I don't think the Bible says we are the only planet with life, nor did Christ. It enfolds ALL who profess Him to be saved. :thumb: Don't know about aliens, no one does for sure, but I leave it in God's hands and say "Yeah, it's Probable that there is more life out there....." and heaven can hold us all!

Wow, I can't believe I missed this post up until now! RT, I agree, that post is awesome. I know Christ will rescue us before the tribulation; He has promised that. You have gotten some amazing insights; you are truly blessed! Thank you fo sharing these! :inlove:

Ooh, Ooh, can I jump in here too?! I would love to be your frient too, Snowdoove! (why are there 2 o's in your name? Just wonderin') I lean toward depression myself, and when I do I find no comfort except through helping others. I will volunteer at the Mission, or take over the babies' nursery, or something--anything to take the focus off of ME. You could try that? Up there in MI you could scrape some windshields, huh? I'm glad you're feeling better. Sing something peppy, and dance around the house like an idiot. Naked. (just kidding, but you smiled, didn't you!?)

Nope, doesn't sound like a normal child at all. Does he read his Bible? Small group? Youth group? Do they study together? If ALL he is doing is reading HP there is more going on there than meets the eye, and that's a possible situation that I have no business commenting on! I think our upcoming WAR is evil. I think Saddam Hussein is evil. I know these things are REAL. I have them in perspective as far as the writings of JK Rowling are concerned... and in MY humble opinion, if you allow some magic and sorcery (fairy tales, Disney, others I have already mentioned) but not others, you are splitting hairs and are not being honest with your heart. The key, as I have stated, is fantasy and REALITY. Fantasy cannot be evil, it is not REAL--it is using imagination and allowing it to fly. Are you against ALL flights of fancy? Are we not to use our imaginations at all? I do not agree, and I know the difference in reality and silly fun. Sorry guys, but you can't have it both ways. Either you want to get rid of EVERYTHING with magical connotations and things in which humans do impossible things, or you are going to want to back off of Harry Potter! If magic is unacceptable that's just it for ALL magic representation! Not just the ones you CHOOSE! Who decides what's harmful? Do you choose to abolish Shakespeare's midsummer night's dream? Cindrerella bites the dust? I've thought and prayed on this for a long time, ya'll, and a few extreme examples will NOT change my mind. I think YOU should pray on the honesty of your position.

On the contrary, Cinderella is all ABOUT magic changing poor little ugly rag-wearing Cindy and bringing her the man of her dreams-- changing pumpkins into horses, magic shoes, mice into horses--Whatever she wishes! And Peter pan, he takes the children FLYING into the night to a distant land their parents do not know about! Magic all round! And they never ever grow up! They eat imaginary food! What if they really think they can do this, and starve?! Oh no, Mary Poppins. You KNOW what she did with magic! Those Banks kids--I bet they grew up in a very bad way! Sliding up banisters? magic medicine? What was IN THAT bottle? Should my child be exposed to that? Where do you draw the line? What is ok and what is evil? That little boy, misguided children with no spiritual grounding--they will grab onto whatever they see! This does not make Harry Potter evil. I firmly disagree. I feel for the child, and would love to guide him, but if he has no foundation and HONESTLY believes this magical fantasy, I would get him to a doctor for an IQ test, and get him to a church for some real magic! And Yeah, I don't mind my nearly 14 year old reading 'Blood and Gold'! It is RICH in architecture and history, art and culture--the language is not objectionable, there is no casting of spells in it. The dialogue is of an adult nature, meaning there are more than 3 syllables in most of the words. Good! He'll get some more language skills! And when he was 8 I got him Hocus Pocus, all about witches and zombies! Friendly zombies! And we still enjoy watching it. And you know, he has NEVER expressed an interest in witchcraft?! How ever did that happen? I don't agree with this whole thing, and if Potter is evil, if you REALLY feel that way, then there is no choice. ALL fantasy/magic must GO! No exceptions! Our children must stay firmly grounded in the REAL world--no imaginary friends, no magical beanstalks or hens that lay golden eggs, or ANY of that! what if they believed it?! Uh=oh, Shakespeare's works contain alot of magic too...no more King Lear, or Hamlet, and the operas by Mozart--FULL of magic! Alice in Wonderland, gone. HOW FAR ARE YOU WILLING TO GO?

To quote myself..."How do you feel about Cinderella? Beauty and the Beast? Princess and the Pea? Snow White? Peter Pan? Fairy tales in general? .... FAIRY TALES and fantasies are perfectly normal parts of childhood! As long as we Christian parents point out the difference in FANTASY and reality, that is!" I stand by this statement, even if I stand alone. And I grew up watching Bewitched and all it was is SILLY FUN. Anyone who knows a thing about wicca knows that it is NOT what Bewitched was about. it was simply a fish out of water story like SOOO many others! I feel sorry for children who are not allowed flights of fancy with Peter Pan and scary stories like The Mummy...It's all wonderful for their imaginations! Do you ever allow the kids to watch Disney? NEARLY ALL Disney movies have an element of magic! Are they all evil? Tinkerbell is flying around the castle with her magic wand in ALL the commercials! EEK! What if little Susie wants to be a fairy now? Lighten up, ya'll. Teach your kids the difference in fantasy and reality, and keep life balanced, and show them the light of Jesus Christ--they'll be well-adjusted and fine and not paranoid or HELPLESS against the evils of FICTION...good grief. BTW I just finished the new Anne Rice novel, and it was GREAT! And I don't want to become a (FICTIONAL CHARACTER) immortal blood drinker from reading it, either! It is FICTION!! And it was FUN!! :thumb:

Quote YOD: I've always thought of the lottery as a tax on people who don't understand math. Do you mind if I use that? That is the best description I've ever heard! What I wonder is how many of those people spending all that money on lottery tickets say they "cannot afford" to give to their church?

God is using my little adopted Jacob now to help me witness. All my friends (saved and unsaved) knew of Jacob and had seen his picture. I talked of him often. Now when I tell them that Jacob has died, I have the opportunity to tell them how God used me, and how awesome that is, and they are asking questions about my faith! It's like a snowball, and it just keeps growing. Now I'm, for the first time, able to witness to my closer friends! (I've always been as timid as everyone else in that respect!) snowdoove, you are so right. ONE seed each---that's nothing! Yet what it would bring to our Lord! I want to start a fire here, to get other Christians as fired up about witnessing and LOOKING for opportunities to share faith as they are to DEBATE minute little points about denominations. Ya'll help me? CRUSADE!!!

Cat, what a great story! That is really wonderful! Tatie, you are doing great, sister! Can you call her back? Pray with her over the phone so she can at least hear you pray through Christ. When you finish praying for her, ask her if she knows Him. When she says no, ask if you can come see her. She will say yes. :inlove: She obviously is in need--He has opened the door for you. Don't be scared--let HIM do all the talking. He will, He will! :inlove: This is her wakeup call. Getting laid off, getting sick and depressed--He is TRYING to get her attention! The time is right. And you're the one He's counting on. He is using you! HOW AWESOME!!! You go!

Christ calls EACH of us to go out and make new disciples by telling the lost about Him and what He did for us. I talk to so many Christians who say they are embarrassed to witness, like they have to stand on a soapbox in the town square. It doesn't have to be like that. There are opportunities all around us. Do you want to brainstorm on this and help each other become better witnesses and fishermen for Christ?! WHAT IF, when we stand before Him, He shows us each opportunity missed and each soul we should have brought to Him. Think about that a minute. GULP. I'd rather He say to me, "Well done, Candy. You were a good and faithful servant". I do best with people I just meet. I feel less intimidated if I don't know the person at all, and just talk to them in non-threatening situations, like at the grocery or in a restaurant. I also wear funny or intriguing Christian T-shirts and jewelry, which starts conversations with strangers! What do YOU do to follow this commandment from our Lord? Remember, we are called to FISH, not to CATCH! He has to do that part, Thank him very much!

Thank you Wisdom! We should all LOOK for opportunities to serve like that. It makes us feel so FULL inside when we give freely. :inlove:

quote: - Christ cried out "It is finished" and then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. How did he give up his spirit? He committed his spirit, in a lowered voice,to the Father and then expired. How are Christ and Milk different? Christ was renewed after His expiration! sorry--expiration is such an odd word for death--Like he went bad or something, and it just made me smile. Thank God for the renewal! Good morning, all! You know, I don't worry with little discrepancies in the Bible. It's going to turn out to be a translation difference or something. Not an error of our Father, but of US!

Jesus would drink wine. It says in the Bible that Jesus drank wine, and that's it for me! And I drink wine too, because it is good for your heart! I just read in yesterday's newspaper that even 1/2 glass of (any alcoholic beverage--doesn't have to be wine!) every day lowers significantly a man's chances for heart disease. It's not so much for women but it still helps! It's not the type of alcohol, it's the frequency. A little every day is GOOD. We should all understand the difference in a nice glass of merlot and a fat hangover. One is fine, the other is a sin.

Anything we ask in faith will be granted.

I'm with all of you. I am not ready. As I put in my resolutions for next year, my biggest fear is when I stand before Him and He shows me EACH and EVER opportunity I had to bring a lost soul to Him that I MISSED, or was so engrossed in my own selfishness that I allowed the moment to slip by. How we let Him down every day! I am SO unworthy, SO full of sinful nature that I will just kiss His Holy feet and thank Him for His neverending Grace. Even when I do my best, which I do try to do, I fall pitiously short. Isn't He awesome, to love even me enough to die for me anyway?! :inlove:

My blessings this year have come in the form of challenges. A few: In January I found out my son was being abused by his father. In June my son was sent to Wilderness camp and I've seen him only 25 days out of the last 6 months. I watched my dad die on October 3 after being in a coma for a week. (he was my step dad but to me he was my father) I lost my job November 2. (I hated that job! but now I'm realllllly broke!) I found out the other day that my blood father (who I last spoke to on my 16th birthday) died on December 20. How do I feel? No idea yet. In all these things I saw God's hand in one way or another, and feel blessed to have a stronger character after a year like this. I never lost faith, I never got angry at God. I have grown closer to Him through this year, and I thank Him for it. I do hope that I get at least a little of 2003 in peace and happiness. I can keep joy through whatever, but happiness I sure haven't had alot of in 2002. Personally I'm glad to see it go! Come on, 2003!! Hurry up!

That's for sure, Wisdom! All i'm able to do on my own merit or strength is sin!

Hi all--like Dad Ernie, I find that when the time is presented (and I NOTICE ) that He gives me the words to say. I don't know how to quote scripture, in fact I find that ANNOYING when folks do that in conversation. it's like they are trying to "prove" they know God better by memorizing verses. (my last boss was such a hypocrite who spouted scripture and treated everyone like garbage and flaunted his obscene, excessive material wealth) But He does show me what to say to reach whomever on their level. It's pretty cool. My bigger problem is not noticing until later that an opportunity to bring someone to Christ was there, and I missed it. That happens far far too often. and I don't look forward to Him pointing every one of those missed opportunities to me when we meet, either. how embarrassing.

Agreed, idolsmasher, and welcome! Nice post. I absolutely LOVE Christmas. I love thinking about the Great I Am taking His place in this world as a child. Yet even in that manger, the shadow of the cross was above Him. He was only born to die for us. If some of you feel Christ taken out of Christmas, here's a couple of suggestions: 1) Have communion on Christmas Eve. Contemplate your blessings and thank Him for another year of this life. Thank Him for all His suffering for you. 2) Make a list of the people you shared the gospel with this year. All the people you invited to church. Don't have a list? There's your resolution for next year! 3) Bake a birthday cake Christmas Eve. Sing Silent Night and O Holy Night. As you bake, thank God for His gift of our Savior. If you have children, explain every year at this time around the cake what this day is all about. Tell them the story. On Christmas morning, before opening all those groovy presents, have a birthday party for Christ. Put the focus ON Him, and it will be more likely to stay on Him. Put candles on the cake and sing Happy Birthday. My son says this is his favorite thing about Christmas. :inlove: 4) instead of shop shop shopping, adopt an underpriviledged child and have your child shop with you for them. I let my son choose the child every year. Teach the giving, not the receiving. 5) volunteer to serve at a shelter. Our first priority, if we want to be Christ-like (which is the point of being a Christian, right?) is to serve others. You know, we are all responsible for keeping Christ in Christmas. And by the way, CD Light, Christ was probably born in Spring. For those sheperds to be out in the field in the middle of the night instead of having them all rounded up in a stable, it would have to be pretty warm. Also, that's tax time! :butbut:

My friend sent me this, and I was glad to finally hear an explanation for these silly human and animal gifts! Hope you enjoy it. Candy Christmas Carol Symbols There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? Today, I found out. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember. The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ. Two turtledoves were the Old and New Testaments Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love. The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament. The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation. Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit-Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. Nine ladies dancing were the fruit of the Holy Spirit-Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments. The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in The Apostles' Creed. So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.

Hey, I said that only it took me alot longer to say the same simple thing. Thanks suzie. i tend to ramble...

Roseanne, You and your husband and your entire situation are firmly rooted in my prayers. He will guide you. much love in Christ, Candy

Don't scold me, Levi. This woman has been severely mentally abused by this man. I know from whence I speak, and she DID ask for advice, which i gave as best I could with adequate knowledge of the situation. I stand completely by what I advised. Her guilt and feelings of second-class citizenship because of this man could cause her to make a bad decision that could ruin the rest of her life. If he refuses counseling, she must get on with her life. Without him.