VelvetVoice

John 20 5and (G)stooping and looking in, he saw the (H)linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. 6And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7and (I)the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the (J)linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. If we take a look at the above scripture, it is obvious that the Shroud of Turin is not authentic. The wrappings used were in two pieces, one for the head and one (or more) for the body. These were thin strips dipped in preservative oils and wrapped tightly around the body. I don't believe in holy relics, simply because God knows that such things will lead the people, even the elect, into idolatry. We have no saints, no statues, no stained glass, not even a cross, in our church.

Hey Pizzaguy: I don't need help, because I won't kill anyone. But I am not crazy just because I DON"T LIKE GUNS!

I don't WANT a gun! I'd probably shoot myself by accident. I think the more guns that are out there, the more likely it is that tragedies like this will increase exponentially. Some days I feel like shooting a lot of people.

Any news as to what caused him to start shooting? Matthew 24:12 "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold."

Very interesting article. Thanks!

There were two trees in the Garden, one was the Tree of Life and the other was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam was the one who was told not to eat of the TKGE, not Eve. And they both were able to eat of the TOL. When they sinned, they were closed to both trees. Since I can't post on the Evil thread, I'll post here. I think everyone is capable of evil, I think it is the flip side of good. How can you have one without the other? Satan sinned but was given no option of redemption because he looked full on the face of God, and had that knowledge of good and evil. Man lucked out by getting a second chance. And knowing that someday evil will be removed from our lives means that we are much better off than the angels.

I agree with Biblicist, that it is an identification with a local body. The act of baptism is an outward statement of an inward belief, but it is not crucial for the Holy Spirit to come to you. And it isn't a divine vending machine that clears every evil away either, we are still the same person with the same weaknesses but we then have the Holy Spirit's full power to ward off temptation and Jesus' redemption if we do stumble. And we have the local church body to remind us and to encourage us and help us walk, remember that new Christians are often under attack by Satan immediately after baptism. Of course, I am not afraid of water, but I know others that are. I wore a bathing suit under one of those heavy canvas things. I didn't really care about the way I looked afterward either. But you may want to ask about logistics of the day.

I agree that parents are the first, and best, defense of abstinence with teens. My daughter is pretty open about what she thinks and feels, and my parents were with me. However, I also have a church family and Christian doctrine to lean on, and she goes to a school with all the smartest kids with the best parents in town. She also has a lot of bad examples to learn from, so we have had many discussions about issues, of sex, of people, of homosexuality, of body changes, of marriage, etc. I have also given my daughter some information about my life, so she doesn't think I am a goody-goody. Other people tell me how nice she is and how mature. She is about to turn 12, and she is telling me about boys she likes and who likes her. I hopefully have taken the mystery out enough and the forbidden aspect is out, I hope that is enough to keep her out. I bet she'd ask me when the subject comes up.

I agree with Isaiah 43:4. There could be grammatical errors, but the Holy Spirit will speak with those elect who will hear His message.

I'd like a Christian to answer my question: Why do we have organs in our bodies that are no longer of use to us? Like, the appendix, the coccyx bone, etc. I am a Christian, but I don't have enough information to support a complete creationist point of view. We were talking about organ removal at our ladies fellowship, and when I think of that conversation, it would seem that I have only evolutionary views on the subject.

Angels: Actually, I gained a couple back, but that was right before Christmas and I totally binged on cookies, candy and alcohol. So if I had stuck to a correct diet and exercise... man, no excuses! Anyway, shakes and smoothies sound good. Got any easy ones? TheoMike: I will just apply it directly to my hips. I'd eat two to balance the fat. Doesn't jogging at a late hour cause you to stay up late? I avoid exercise at night because then I have trouble winding down.

Look carefully at what Thyssia is looking for: she wanted help in a time of trouble. Baptism is not something you do to get a magical power. (Although it sometimes feels that way) Baptism is an outward sign of an inner commitment, and He can come to you without any emotional upheaval. If you asked Him to come, He surely has already. Getting back to your troubles, the strength that comes from assurance is what you need to help you through hard times. What can man, or the world, do to me that I will not overcome? God will provide for you. I say this because many people look at faith or God or religion as a divine vending machine. And if you don't have enough faith we don't get what we desire. That is false. God never promised us an easy life, in fact He said that we are sure to undergo persecution for His sake and the sake of the Kingdom. Post your struggle and we can help you, or PM me or someone else and we can give you biblical counsel.

I'm gonna run to the store after work and get califlower to try this. My mother usually boils it and then puts butter on it, but it's too bland. I like the crispy aspect too, texture is important. I usually crave salty things and not sugar. Just ate a boiled egg with salt, and had a bowl of All-Bran. I lost ten pounds last year on the South Beach diet, but I couldn't stand the eggs every morning for breakfast. I'd eat chicken for breakfast if I had it. Have any suggestions on how to cook it? I like it cut up in salad with Italian dressing, but I get that in restaurants. My chicken always seems to get dried up when I cook it unless I marinade for a day, but that takes too much time. I hate: oatmeal (except in cookies), raisins, bananas, cottage cheese. All of these have textures I can't stand.

I've seen this explained elsewhere, and I'll take a look for a better source. From: www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn27/fridayeaster.htm Two Sabbaths confirmed in text The fact that two Sabbaths are involved is confirmed by Matthew 28:1, where the women went to the tomb "after the Sabbath." The Sabbath mentioned here is actually plural in the original Greek and should be translated "Sabbaths." Some Bible versions, including Alfred Marshall's Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, Ferrar Fenton's translation, Green's Literal Translation and Young's Literal Translation, make this clear. Once we realize that two Sabbaths were involved

It was interesting to read the test questions from 1895. I probably would have done well, since I was always an expert at facts, especially math and English, cause black-and-white makes sense to me. I too didn't get much history until high school. I went to public schools in an urban city, except for 4 years when I had to attend Catholic school. There was a lot of controversy in those days over school desegregation, and we were in physical danger going to public schools. My daughter goes to a public school, it is like a talented & gifted program expanded for the whole town. The teachers in most public schools are expected to be babysitters, psychologists, police, etc. and I think it takes away from the job that they could otherwise do. Of course, the parents of Academy kids are very involved with the teachers, input from the parents is what makes the students much better. Most of the church kids are home-schooled to shield them from worldly thoughts. My husband and I don't agree with home-schooling, we think it makes the kids too sheltered. How will they cope when they get to the real world? Most of them have trouble dealing with kids from outside the church, too.

Well, this is what I was told by a Pentecostal person. Maybe they are different in other parts of the country. If your pastor believes he is saved, and shows evidence of it, then he must be saved. He'll have a lot to answer for at the Throne of Grace if he isn't!

A little bit goes a long way. I just started a diet yesterday. No sugar and no starch for two weeks. And exercise at least 20 minutes. I can't lose weight just with diet, I must have exercise. I find that what I eat pretty much has no effect if I exercise correctly.

One of the problems with tongues: what if you can't do it, and no one in your congregation can do it? Does it mean you don't have the Holy Spirit amongst you? Pentecostals believe that you are not saved unless you can do it. I have a problem with that. Also, think about this: we seldom see the gift of healing from such things as blindness from birth, yet we still believe God heals. Does that mean that you are not praying hard enough if you don't get healing? Or if you are not showered with riches? No. 2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that (AV)the man of God may be adequate, (AW)equipped for every good work. It's my Calvinist teaching that Scripture is enough to draw people in. The miracles Jesus performed provided proof that He was who He was, they didn't necessarily cause people to believe in Him. People shouldn't look for miraculous gifts when coming to church, just doing God's will is what is called for.

And buy a green dress. But not a real dress, that's cruel. Isn't this a Dave Matthews song? I believe there's a monkey in it, too. Who's got the monkey?

Lorax: I have changed my house over to the efficient lighting, and I believe that Connecticut will be enacting legislation about everyone doing it. But you are talking an individual action, not a group effort. I think Al Gore has a lot of nerve talking about dire consequences, and then owning his own jet or whatever. He is not walking the walk or talking the talk. And who is going to take what I say into consideration? I can only plow my own field, I can't change what my neighbor does. Everyone needs to show responsibility to the earth and to their fellow man, when was the last time that happened on more than an individual basis? Never!

Gee whiz! I live in Connecticut. The taxes are awful, and we also have some of the worst test scores in the nation. I knew I shouldn't have read the article. It's my fault that I read the news at all, now I'm depressed.

Personally, I hate the emoticoms. I usually do this, *sarcasm*, or state outright my intent. I am totally confused by most sarcasm, and I don't get subtleties or insults either. People should say what they mean! Incidentally, thinly veiled insults were why I left that other site I've been at. "Let your YES mean YES and your NO mean NO, anything else is of evil." Matthew 5:37

Where would I find Settings? I looked under My Controls, but can't find it. Can you show me? Thanks!

When it comes to global warming, I don't worry. There's nothing we can do as a group to stop it. I am called to be a good steward of what I have and how I live, so that is all I will do. God will provide whatever it takes for me to live tomorrow.

Go back and read my post. The homosexual called himself gay, not the Christian. And if I say something to voice my opinion, am I still intolerant? Guaranteed, when I speak my opinion, no matter how gently, I am accused of all manner of violence or racism or bias. There is nothing I can do but quote scripture and take my lumps. "Wisdom is vindicated by her children."