bethshemaiah

Broken, by your own admission there is something wrong. You are broken... you want comfort, you want to see if there is an open minded Christian here. We are open-minded enough to see you through this, but not to compromise on the word of God. Can I ask you, what does love mean to you.. do you see the love that we are extending toward you in this? In His Grip, Bethany

Couldn't the 'rod' spoken of in these passages represent reprimand and punishment in general? I don't think physical hitting is necessarily the only thing that passage is talking about. The "rod" represents correction and chastisment of all sorts, be it spoken punishment or physical punishment. I agree that children will need direction, but it doesn't mean you have to hit the child. Actually, the rod means "the rod." I do not view spaking as "hitting." Hitting to me hold the connotation of physically harming with the intent to cause harm. Spanking is neither of those. There are many methods of discipline that work, of course. But spanking, if done properly, can be a very effective means of child training; even an indispensable means of child training. It's time-tested and time-proven. Amen.... we are a people by nature who learn best from the school of hard "knocks" ... being the mother of two teen boys I can guarantee you that a good talking to or a time out never really had the impact that a good smack on the rear did. God does not err, and His Word is right and true. Bethany

wow, wish I was going, that is one of my ambitions in life is to go to Israel. G-d Bless You on your trip. Bethany

You know I cannot find this a bit funny either. I never find humor in the lost being lost, it greatly saddens me. I know that this is another "sign of the times" that we live in. God knows this and is in control. This guy is an antichrist, many are...... The question I have is how could anyone be SO stupid and SO lost to buy this one, talk about blind? It is absolutely amazing to me. Even as a drunk and a lost heathen I wouldn't have bought this one.......

What business? If we read the rest of the parable the "business" becomes clear... there is no specific business except to make the money profit by trading (in whatever way they chose). This would generally mean buying and selling wares, etc. The point is not the business in and of itself but the faithfulness and and fearlessness including taking risks in obedience to the commands given and that we have a responsibility in the Kingdom to operate in this same manner. It is a complicated parable to me, even in reading the footnotes in my study Bible. We are responsible for acting in faith and obedience to the call of our Master as He instructs. And how much easier it is for those who love Him..... yet it is required for those who do not love him also. Selah................

Yeah, true.. but it makes it quite poignant I think, and maybe with a dash of shock factor because it's not "the usual" or what people might expect to see. Who knows though! People see art in very different ways! Also, you may be interested to see a couple of other paintings I did before this one: "Anger" "What Do You See?" (That's a mirror in the center, by the way) Hopefully I will do more soon! You are a talented artist and you think "outside the box" that is a good thing and clearly your artistic talent is a gift. God does not make us all the same and your art will speak to those who think outside the box too. I like them.... especially the ANGER painting, when I looked at it, it really got me thinking. Pray and ask God to anoint your gift to speak to the hearts of men. Bethany Thanks! I'm glad you liked them! Can I ask though, what exactly did it get you thinking? It was shocking to look at.... especially the gaping hole in the line, why is that all that I would see? When I looked at the line running in different places against the backdrop of serene colors it reminded me of the damage that unrighteous anger causes in our souls how it seems to always be there on top of a life of peace. I have struggled with anger issues in the past due to painful hurts in my heart. It was as though the anger was always there then it exploded and severed the serenity that I so desperately wanted to have. See, it is the explosions that I focused on yet the whole line needed to be paid attention to. God can heal all wounds put to focus on the gaping holes only will never bring healing. The painting made me think about anger being a thin line that we avoid and focus only on controlling the outbursts...... (the gaping hole). I could expound more but that was my first impression. Bethany

Yeah, true.. but it makes it quite poignant I think, and maybe with a dash of shock factor because it's not "the usual" or what people might expect to see. Who knows though! People see art in very different ways! Also, you may be interested to see a couple of other paintings I did before this one: "Anger" "What Do You See?" (That's a mirror in the center, by the way) Hopefully I will do more soon! You are a talented artist and you think "outside the box" that is a good thing and clearly your artistic talent is a gift. God does not make us all the same and your art will speak to those who think outside the box too. I like them.... especially the ANGER painting, when I looked at it, it really got me thinking. Pray and ask God to anoint your gift to speak to the hearts of men. Bethany

I have Christian symbols everywhere and on everything, my car, myself, my clothes, hats, my office, my home........ you name it and I have it. I do get concerned that I might not drive perfectly as a Christian but I do drive better since becoming a Christian with or without these symbols. Do I get concerned that I might make mistakes as a Christian while wearing a t-shirt with His name on it? If I used that standard, I wouldn't carry my Bible around either. The question is whether I would not have them because I am not perfect and err, wow someone might see me mess up. No, I still proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord of my Life and mess up. If someone is looking to condemn me for a mess up God will use that too. See, I was one of those folks who held Christians failures up way more than mine, I judged them. In the end, God had his way. What non-believers do see in me is a person who messes up and yet is repentant, loving and not afraid to ask for forgiveness and make right my wrongs. I do NOT make myself out to be more righteous and in a place that they could "never get........ you know holier than thou". Peace, Bethany

I have found that if I am truly seeking the Lord, the Holy Spirit as Counselor will not speak to me once on a subject and leave it alone. There have been occasions where hearing the "still small voice of the Lord" lines up with scripture and is easy to discern as the right and righteous path. It is the "grey" areas in my carnal man that I need to wait on. I have never known God to speak something to me on what might be a source of confusion for me once and only once. God is consistently pursuing me and my heart. He speaks in so many ways the direction that He would have me to go in these cases. I keep asking and pursuing His voice and it becomes clearer and clearer past the point of confusion. I do have to add though that the "knowing" that I arrive at is not always the thoughts of my mind for sometimes His direction makes no worldly sense. What is does makes sense to is my heart, and His heart and His Word. I do want to caution that there are times when God speaks and you may not find that you are not able to follow the voice of other Christians on the matter. But again, His voice will ALWAYS line up scripturally so their concern would never be that your actions were against God's words, more that what you are doing seems odd in the carnal man. In Bible College, when I took the course on hearing the voice of the Lord.......... I was clearly taught be very learned and rooted Christians that it is His voice that we must follow, not the voice of man. I have definitely heard the Lord's voice leading me down a path that opposed my natural desire... many times, and in time have seen it's fruit EVERY time. I could go on and on about this........ but I will be quiet and let God speak to you in this. God Bless, Bethany

God is not the author of confusion that is true, the voice of the Holy Spirit always lines up with the Bible. Can I ask you if God would want to lower your self-esteem? Well, only it is was higher than your God-esteem. We all have bad dreams... we live in a fallen messed up world full of the stuff that can "create" the scenario for bad dreams. Why can you hear the voice of this crazy nonsense voice so well and not God's, or did I misunderstand? I do wonder why the only other Christians that you surround yourself with are worse than you are? I can truly see why you are desperate and upset. God does have alot to say about the way that He wants you to live in the New Testament and I would suggest you spend some considerable time in the Pauline Letters. Prophecy today is designed to bring exhortation to the believer and it's purpose is not what it was in the OT days were judgments were prophesied, for their is no judgment for the believer in Jesus Christ and judgment for the unbeliever comes from Jesus Christ not man. Do you spend much time in chat? Perhaps there are folks who can help you sort some of this confusion out there. I know that the chatroom for me has proved to be more than a social event. Praying for you......... Peace, Bethany

God Bless you Lora. God does have a sense of humor and there is room for humor in the God's people and is His Kingdom. I can see that you have a real need to connect with people and therefore this is not working for you. I do connect at intimate levels with those that God has brought me into relationship with through Worthy, and I do know these individuals first, middle and last names, and you will too if you will give it time and be open. I have not wasted my time posting on the boards, in fact the time that I take to think through my positions on issues has been a good exercise for me. Reading other peoples thoughts and opinions is valuable also. I find that the more that I know about people and the way they think, feel and act the more it benefits me personally and my ability to interact with them. God is merciful and full of grace, He loves you and all of us. There is no error that you have committed by giving us cause for jokes and if you are offended by these pokes then I would like to the first to offer to pray for you. In His Service, Bethany

Nicknames are fun and they allow us to "speak" more about ourselves in the use of these names, if we choose to. As Floatingaxe stated when I meet her in heaven I'll know just who she is. Peace, Bethany

Yes these Palmetto bugs are disgusting, I was in Florida a few weeks ago and when I got home and was unpacking my luggage, I had brought back a dead one as a souvenior, gross............, yesterday in Georgia was absolutely beautiful and warm.....

I thought the Mosquito was the Minnesota state bird, oh well both states can share that honor I suppose!!

Oh definitely I have heard about it before but forgot about it, so now I have two good movies to watch. Thanks.................. Bethany

I missed it in the theaters, is it out on video yet? I would love to see it. Bethany

Dear Overdya, I wish to acknowldge that I over stepped the mark with my comment of blowing your trumpet, the comment was not of any benifet to the body and you as one of christ's precious children. I apolygies and ask for your forgivness, for my sin. Bravo Stafy, I want you to know that I am blessed to see your post and your apology, sadly enough it does not seem to happen enough ........... however, it is okay to poke a little fun every now and then. God Bless, Bethany

Humm, well His word tells me to do many things and I fall short of the mark, I sin............. I would love to say that I would do anything that the Lord asked of me yet I don't. One poster stated, anything He wants me to. Wow, if that were the reality for me, I would be truly walking in freedom from the bondage of sin. I find that I simply cannot get that free I am a sinner,........... thank God for grace. Blessings and Peace, Bethany

LOL I SOOO remember doing that!!!! lol I think what once you hit 500 (somebody PLEASE correct me if I am wrong) you are allowed to delete your post? Is that how that one works? Yeah, 500 is Veteran Then 1000 is Senior And somewhere around here is Royalty.. It hink 2500 (my goal right now) After that? To beat Ronald Hope this helps! SO IS THIS CORRECT YOU ROYAL MEMBERS? Please don't forget us "little people" now that you are SOOO IMPORTANT, lol is my next milestone 500 and what do I get to do then? is there nothing between 100 and 500? Can't I at least be a sophmore or something in between?......................... I am having a "worthy identity crisis" Bethany

RustyAngel, at the time you posted this your stats showed you Royal and at 2500, YOU HAVE BEEN CROWNED feel any different? LOL Bethany

Well I was just glad to get over a 100 so that I could post in controversial issues if I wanted to, so do I have a next milestone that would allow me to do something else? Bethany

That's actually a stronger argument for MEN not wearing pants. You should see me in a sweater! I can't hide them things! Why all the hullabalo about pants? Weird. LOL, Well that is true, but hey we all wear shirts of some kind, right?....... so there would be no problem with that one, unless............ your buttons are on........... oh now which side are a man's buttons on again?

I don't believe women should wear pants, period. The alternative would be long dresses. I don't endorse it, but it would be preferable for a woman to wear something on under a dress or skirt than to simply wear pants or shorts. I have some reservations because this would still possibly involve wearing something pertaining to the opposite sex, though it would go unseen, but it is a possible compromise if modesty would have otherwise been impossible. Typical male agenda...pitiful. Making women adhere to their ideas of modesty, so they don't have to deal with their eye problems. You need to read, "Every Man's Battle." Alright, I'll admit.. I've been scanning these last couple pages because my eyes are too tired to read them right now Seriously, male agenda? I dont think so. Hey Butero, I've never quite heard of that, in the sense of wearing something under it except for kindergardeners HOWEVER, I know there are dresses and skirts and something shoudl be worn underneath like a slip, etc Ladies, if I see a guy that I know really well, and he is not wearing a shirt, I will seriously ask him to put one on.... Why? Becuase *I* I don't want to see that... well, no, I do. That's hte thing... I don't want to allow that sort of stuff into my head.... There are things that send my head in circles and it drives me crazy to watch TV because of it... There are guys around my school that wear those tight shirts that show off what they have.. and unfortunately, guys that wear tight pants... it drives me absolutely crazy. I also can't stand seeing guys with pants that are really baggy and hang down below their hind end.. and you know? In my mind, what I think is "Oh, he probably sleeps with every girl around". Aka, "easy to get" as many guys think. Another thing? I wouldn't want my husband (future) to go out into public without a shirt off because lol I wouldn't want any other woman to see that, lol he's MINE lol The thing is, there are standards set for men too, not just women.... I do'nt want to see a man in a dress... if I do, I am going to thing that there are just a few things going on "upstairs" lol and lol I'm sorry, but guys shouldn't wear dresses, but at the same thing, they shoudl wear shirts that aren't skin tight, without woldly logos (does this not sound familiar to the standards of a woman? ), for shorts, they shoudl go below the knee for goodness gracious.... yeah, I really want to see that. A woman's skirt should go below the knee too, and neither shoudl be tight or revealing. A man's pants shouldn't be skin tight as I have seen them and their dress shoudl honor God. There are standards for both genders, women just seem to think that it is unfair for women to have these standards becuase they like to cry "Oh! Male Opression! Sexist!!!!" When no, it is a standard in the bible... someone shoudl be able to tell the difference between a man and a woman, even from behind. Hi Kitty, you don't go to swimming pools much then do you? I admit that a bathing suit could be revealing but if I had my mind consistently that "far" in the "gutter" then I would need to be rebuking the suggestions the enemy was making and get into the purity messages of the Bible........................ Frankly Jesus Christ has more power in me than to not be able to see the clothing a person has on and not be able to accurately discern things about the individuals condition. It offers me a great opportunity to pray for people, In addition, these folks really do have hearts that we need to be seeing apart from their misguided wardrobe............. An example, would be that we have had over the years females come to our church with shorts, that is "bad" enough, but they are short shorts to boot. What would one do about a newcomer to the church who was not following the "dress code"? We are far more concerned about their salvation than their wardrobe. There is the right time, to address the shorts issue and we have lots of altar service attendees' who are ready to cover folks in the altars as needed. YOU CANNOT CLEAN A FISH UNTIL YOU CATCH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love, Bethany

I don't believe women should wear pants, period. The alternative would be long dresses. I don't endorse it, but it would be preferable for a woman to wear something on under a dress or skirt than to simply wear pants or shorts. I have some reservations because this would still possibly involve wearing something pertaining to the opposite sex, though it would go unseen, but it is a possible compromise if modesty would have otherwise been impossible. wow so now not only should we only wear dresses, but since the dresses can be somewhat revealing we should "add" another layer underneath, would this be like tights or nylons since generally they do not "pertain" to the opposite sex? You really ought to try wearing this stuff for one day, you might change your tune. I love Jesus Christ, I am modest but stylish and rarely let me backside show by wearing a sleeveless shirt underneath another top that covers me. This can be done very stylishly, works in the business world and in church. I really clearly think that modesty is not the issue in this, it is controlling women, I know of other cultures that do that......................