3in1

KMB,

first off, i wont hold the Alabama thing against you!

i must say, i work in an environment where the guys have a lot of money, time, and clout. these three are a very bad combo... for some anyway! a lot of times people watch more than they listen. so in a sense, you have already shared your faith! by no means does this automatically mean that when you complain you are "turning them off". as it has already been said, they are merely seeing a reality...we do mess up. i laughed when i read your post b/c i find myself doing the SAME thing at times. i get convicted, then try not to be as negative. being a Christian does not mean your not allowed to have feelings about something you think is done poorly, it does mean you convey them in a different manner. one thing i've learned is that God is completely capable of leading me.(wow that sounded weird...i had to learn this?). i used to get ahead of God ALL the time, thinking anytime i came in contact w/ someone i had to lay the Gospel out in its entirety. a Pastor once shared w/ me the passage dealing w/ Jesus and the rich man. he challenged my thinking by asking me why Jesus didnt run after him and lay out the Gospel? i think believers need boldness, but i dont necessarily think bold means that i go and tell everybody i know the Gospel. or that every time i meet someone, that i must give the Gospel truth. i feel Wisdom gave some great wisdom(imagine that! ) on the matter. we need God directed boldness, if He leads me to share something w/ someone and i find it difficult... this is where the boldness ought to come in!

i think it sounds funny, but i did have to come to the realization that God is completely capable of leading me if my heart seeks it!... sounds to me your heart is panting for it!

in Christ

preach the Gospel at all times. if necessary use words.

Josh,

first and foremost, the mark of the believer is the Holy Spirit, meaning, this is what seperates Christians and non. i say this to assure you that once you have the Holy Spirit... then you have it! there is no losing it therefore you DONOT need to fear hell anymore! i can give you the scriptures if you like

w/ that said, there was a LOOOONG thread on language in the controversial issues forum.(eventually closed though )you may want to look through it and see the diff. viewpoints on language. i am not trying to turn this into that thread, but language means diff. things to diff. people and that is all i will say on this thread. also, you are looking in the right places, but maybe expecting the wrong thing. God will not make you stop. if that were possible, from this day on i would just ask God to MAKE me stop sinning all together! there would be a bunch of sinless people running around! now God sure will lead you in the right direction though. whether its the places you find yourself doing it more or the people who may help "bring" it out of you or fill in the blank. and just to let you know, whether this is the last time or not you seek help, dont feel like your less of a believer or God is disappointed w/ you. you have issues just like i have issues just like Paul (of all people) had issues.(Rom 7:15-25).

once again brother, you are sealed in Christ salvation awaits you. you cannot lose it! maybe this focus will help you as opposed to "beating" yourself up about it.

hope this helps!

in Christ

welcome autismom75 i am also a rookie.

this is a good place for fellowship, i can tell already! it is cool to hear other views on situations... even though they can sticky at times! i feel believers should challenge their thinking. many today seem to be allergic to food for thought!

i wouldnt fear a dream, as Island Rose said, you have to be conscious for something of this magnitude. the only real power satan has is what we give him! just look at you already. by recognizing your short comings as they are and not dismissing them is the first step! this bears witness to the Spirit in your life! praise God!

just to jump on the band wagon, the church "building" holds no more of Gods Spirit than believers already possess. Christ is our mediator(Heb 9:15) and Christ lives in US, not the church building. with that said, the building is where we fellowship together. think of it as this chat room in person

welcome

in Christ

happy laughter and family voices in the home will keep more kids off the streets than the strictest curfew.

Lady C,

first off, i live in the metroplex as well!! Frisco, Texas!!! small world!! huh!

secondly, i am a father and i DO NOT agree w/ the standpoint of fathers feeling their "authority" is overlooked or underminedif their wife doesnt agree on an issue. in my household, discipline is given by both of us! i dont think it is right to say only the males are allowed to hand out punishment regardless of what their wife says. parenting takes two and both view points matter. God shares wisdom equally btwn both partners, so parents ought to discuss what they feel God is saying on the issue... together!

again, i am not completely in the know, but the way i see it is like this. letting them go unsupervised may lead her to feel trusted and could lead her to view things differently. as i said earlier, forced actions sometimes lead to the rebellion. just b/c kids do what we say when we're around simply b/c we're around doesnt really teach them anything. i think you posted something similar to this. the catch is trying to show them WHY they ought to on their own.

the adolecent age group is where God has given me a heart for. again, my heart goes out to you AND your husband. :il:

in Christ

a boy is the only thing God can use to make a man.

LadyC,

i dont think letting them go is all that bad. i dont know all the people in this dilemma personally, so in the end it is your call. but i dont know if letting them go unsupervised is that bad an option either. as parents, we tend to try and force actions. but in the end, it has to be b/c she wants to. i think there are times when "sticking to your guns" is very necessary. again, when the rubber meets the road, it is our call when to do so. we shouldnt fear this though! God is so capable of leading us how to use discipline. unfortunately, this doesnt "guarantee" your daughter will make the right decision 100% of the time, b/c it is her decision.

one of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 127:3. "Children are a blessing from the Lord. Blessed is the man's whose quiver is full of them..." the word picture i get from this is awesome. a quiver is what archers use to hold their arrows, while aiming at a bullseye. as parents, we do the same thing. in a sense we aim them in the right direction as well. we do this teaching, loving, etc. i want my children to learn more from my wife and i's walk w/ Christ than they would any sermon or church visit. you know whats amazing about this scripture? to aim the arrow is not enough, at some point we have to let go. in order for an arrow to hit the bullseye, the archer has to let it go. now i know your daughter is 16, so she may not necessarily be "let go" completely.

i hope you got something from this. i find great comfort in these verses. my heart truly goes out to you. having two daughters myself makes me all the more compassionate. wish i could do more! God Bless You.

i am also from Texas, if you dont mind me asking, what part is she going to?

a parents hardest job is teaching their kids, "No", is a complete sentence.

NicksGirl,

i have three things for you:

1.] i agree completely w/ your thoughts on the matter

2.] CONGRATS on getting married!!!

3.] i am 27 and i am anticipating my 6 YEAR anniversary. we also have 3 beautiful children.

that's all, i just noticed your wedding on your response and thought i would comment!!

in Christ

soup should be seen and not heard!!

senerhu,

my thoughts exactly! SOOOOO many Christians cannot see outside their own world. we look past Paul's statements saying he has become all things to reach the lost.

its not a matter of not seeing Christ's preciousness. Christ's death means new life for me. w/o getting into too much of my testimony, i should not be alive right now. whether by my own hands or someone else's. that is no bull. i want to share Christ's sacrifice soooo much and to soooo many who have dealt w/ depression! i am thankful that God has shown me so much about relating to others... outside what i view as wrong or right. again, the Word is VERY CLEAR on adultery, drunkeness, etc. from Adam and Eve to the end of time these will remain the same. we cannot say this about language. when we try to make grey area things as if God said them, people become burdened w/ our individual convictions. so are there absolutes... of course there is! are there also grey areas... yes sir! (Romans 14:1-23 covers how we handle these grey areas.)

my whole point in this discussion is for believers to realize the world outside of theirs. if we would examine our lives in the CONTEXT of scripture, we would get a whole new perspective. and reach more in the process.

in Christ

what we want is progress, if we can have it w/o change.

again, this is not being mean, but who says your outlook is the only one that matters? i can see where your coming from though. i cannot see why anyone would want to wear all black clothes, make-up, and many piercings (referring to the goth culture). but my outlook does not make it right or wrong. you see where im coming from?

are we all clear on the salvation issue? hope so.

in Christ

we can only change the world by changing people.

kitkat,

the problem w/ our communicating via internet is that i may sound mad or upset. but all i can do is say that im not. seriously.

w/ that said im not sure we are saying the same thing. on one end your saying it can send people to hell. on the other, your saying its my perogative.

also, i can relieve you of any burdens of going to hell. i can based on what Gods word says. if your saying cultural profanity is a sin that can condemn believers to hell, then any sin can do the same. all i was saying is that, ALL believers do not have to fear hell anymore! thank God :il:

in a nutshell, we cannot say this is a sin at ALL times. this is not like adultery or drunkeness. we can w/o a doubt at ALL times say these are sinful. there are "grey areas" which are determined by the believers walk and the freedom in Christ. once again, that is what i was trying to get across. if you re-read my first post, youll see i said i wasnt trying to be mean. okay

in Christ

it takes both rain and sunshine to make a rainbow

i agree that foul language is not wise. but to say that the words are the issue i think is false. as i posted earlier, the word "ass" is used in the KJV, but it is not used in an offensive way. i think it can used today in a non offensive way. whether it be within my house or around certain people, it is not offensive. w/ my "accountability" partner, we both have the understanding that words are just words. we express ourselves completely, so if something comes out then it comes out. sometimes we do so, w/o the need to repent of it! does it matter if i stub my toe and say "dang it" as opposed to feeling like saying "dammit" in my heart? if God looks at the heart does it really matter what i say, just b/c i didnt audibly say anything "bad" does that change anything?

again, as Guy stated, i am not advocating the use of "cultural profanity". i am saying that in diff. contexts it is not sinful. just like the word "dummy" is not ALWAYS sinful, there are times when "cultural profanity" is not ALWAYS sinful. KITKAT, this is not a salvation issue. i guess i should first relieve you of the burden of fearing going to hell for anything, if your already a believer. im not sure why you fear this, it is completely unbiblical to fear going to hell if youve received Christ! im not sure of your understanding on the matter. you said it yourself, "nothing in itself in "unclean", so for some, they could be convicted of saying them. i dont feel there is a list of words that are sinful, regardless of context. sorry, i just dont see this in scripture.

different strokes for different folks if you will.

in Christ

all the world lives in two tents: content and discontent

whas up yall (im from Texas)! anyway this is my first post... actually this is my first time on the site. it seems pretty interesting. i like alot of discussion w/ no evil intended towards each other. with that said, i also have a couple pennies to add to the discussion.

i totally agree w/ LCPGUY. words are meaningless symbols until we give them meaning. i am very familiar w/ all the posted scriptures, but again, i see them similar to the way Guy does. are words in and of themselves sinful? no way! words mean diff. things to diff. people at diff. times. one thing we as believers sometimes fail to see is outside our world . i find it very narrow minded to say ALL non believers are offended by "profanity". please dont take this as trying to be rude, i think it sort of sounds like it. . i think this is what some believers think all non believers feel on the matter. someone talked about speaking differently w/ diff. people as if it wrong to do so. i speak very differently w/ wife than i would a total stranger. again, i dont just use any word at any time. maybe inappropriate is the word, but sinful. is it inappropriate to discuss my wife and i "bedroom" details to w/ my neighbor? yes sir it is! is it sinful, no! look at it this way, is the word "ass" sinful? it is in the KJV for cryin' out loud! so is hell, damn, and fool. this is a good illustration to show the words themselves mean nothing. its the context of the heart that counts. so we can quote Matt 12 all we want saying "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." b/c it is very true and fitting for this discussion. the heart is the issue. its always been about the heart! if it is solely the words, then who decides what makes the list and doesnt? actually, the words on this so called list are determined by society, thats what we base "cuss" words on. we cannot correctly attribute these as sinful as if God said so... our culture said so!

i dont think statements such as these prove anything: 1.] its the language of the non intelligent... come on now, we know several people who are intelligent who use "cuss" words. 2.] would you use it at the throne... again, i dont think what my wife and i do in our bedroom is a topic for discussion either, neither is it sinful. i dont understand the logic of this question. 3.] what will non believers think... again if we could just look outside our own circles. we are incapable of saying what ALL nonbelievers think. if just one person sees Guy as a "regular" guy he can relate to, then where is the sin here?

i know not everyone has the same view point on the matter, and that is okay. but when we judge, we usually do so incorrectly. probably why we are told not to. anyway, this was not meant to be rude sounding, i just had something to say on the matter.

in Christ

wise people sometimes change their minds- fools, never :oww: