alycia

There is a movie/documentary that's been out for a few years called "The Finger of God", which mainly deals with the supernatural--things like gold dust, gemstones and manna manifesting (Ok, I haven't been here at Worthy all that long to know what the prevailing attitude about all that is, so don't stone me if this has been poo-pooed already ) there is a part in the movie where they show (they used hidden cameras and the actual location was not revealed) an undergorund church somewhere in China, and how the people there were just hungry and thirsty for the Word...the missionary that preached there and told of this church in the movie, said that the people didn't want him to stop preaching...and those people didn't care that they were in a hidden, cramped location...they were just taking in all they could, and worshipping with all their hearts...it was precious to see.

Ok...this is not directed specifically to FloatingAxe, but this thing about "excellence" in church settings has always irked me a little. I was a part of a church for several years that stressed "excellence", in terms of the worship service, the music, the people who served/volunteered in various groups/ministries, etc...it became a buzzword--"we must do things with excellence", "God is a God of excellence", so on and so forth. Maybe it was just the setting I was in, but it became almost a snobbish, exclusive attitude--our ministry/church was known for it's "excellence", and those that didn't measure up to the supposed standard of excellence were basically shut out of doing anything within the church. Yes, I believe in doing things with excellence--to me, doing and being the best you can be with the gifts and talents God has given you--but at the same time, realizing that although man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart--and although we may not measure up by man's standards, God is pleased with our sincere efforts to serve Him. As far as modernized church buildings--yes, I think we all can say we prefer to have a nice, comfortable building with padded pews, air conditioning in the summer, heat in the winter, and with the latest in technology to help present the Gospel...but what if all that were taken away for some reason? what if we lost all those "comforts"? Would we say to God, I can't worship You because I don't have the "modern accoutrements" to effectively worship You in Spirit and in truth? Again, this is not disagreement with FloatingAxe, but this is something that has irritated me for some time...maybe it's the way I've heard it taught and applied, I dunno.

I heard this quote a few years ago, but I didn't know who originally said it, but I just found out it's by someone named Charles Reade... "Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny

So....no one liked my interlude about Me, Jesus and sandals I gather....? I did

Nope, not worried either!

Amen KC02!

I've read thru this thread, and I'm glad I did... I hadn't thought about Jesus actually going thru any Rabbinical training...just never crossed my mind. Thank you Shiloh and others for your information on this. That Jesus had formal schooling or training does not diminish his deity...as a typical Westernized Christian, I was taught the Bible story about Jesus dialoguing with the teachers and leaders in the Temple at age 12, that He grew in wisdom and stature, and he started His public ministry at age 30, and lasted three years, and then He was brought before Pilate and was crucified, stayed in His tomb three days and then was resurrected. Typical. He taught as one that had authority, so obviously he had "something" that the other teachers or rabbis didn't have, but it isn't hard for me to accept that He submitted Himself to discipline and training in order to teach with authority...the human part of Jesus probably needed that discipline.

Thanks so much for this topic. I'm a member of another board, and right now I really can't stand to be there, there's so much politicizing...I know there's a political section here too, but I can tell that "flaming" of one another isn't tolerated here. There is genuine support and Christian love shown here. I know I haven't been here long, and perhaps haven't "seen" a lot of it yet, and maybe after awhile my view will change (: but right now being on Worthy is a breath of fresh air. It's been hard for me to walk away from an arguement, but I'm learning. Especially when it denegrates into name calling and flaming...on doctrinal issues, yes, we need to be passionate about what we're saying.But as someone said a few posts ago, I can't beat "the truth" into anyone, nor will anyone else beat it into me. It's the Holy Spirit's job to convict and guide.

Yes...David, I'm new here, but I, and I'm sure many many others here are willing to listen and help you discover the truth, as Stormy said.

Maybe it would be best to be "upfront" with her, and honestly tell her how you feel--the next time she "calls you out of the blue". Then you will know if she truly values the friendship or not, because she will either help to clear up any misunderstanding, or she will deny treating you that way and try to tell you that it's something wrong with you or your perception of her. This is territory I've been thru, and yes, you have to learn how to "guard your heart", that doesn't mean shutting people out of your life, but at the same time recognizing that you have worth and value to God and to others...and it also means trusting Him to place people in your life that recognize that as well. I think this is a process God leads us thru--the ablilty to love others unconditionally, but at the same time allowing Him to help us stand up to the "wiles of the enemy" that can come thru other people in order to ultimately destroy us and our faith and trust in God--and to cause us to believe that He doesn't have our best interest at heart. Stormy, He doesn't want you to give up on people, but He will let you when it's time to end a friendship/relationship...some people, I've had to learn, are in your life for a specific time and season, and when that season is over, He hs a way of shaking things up so that you have to "move on". He's done that with me a number of times. It's not something YOU would have done wrong, if it were, I'm sure God would convict you and that you would try to make things right. But perhaps He's teaching you how to recognize toxic relationships and how to handle them.

Oh boy, this is a topic I have mixed feelings on... I'm new, so I'm not familiar with Shy Christian's previous posts on their former church, but I've attended churches where it was very laid back in terms of dress...and I loved it. I was raised in a tradition where women wore dresses/skirts to church on Sunday morning, and the men always in suit/ties. As God dealt with me about becoming more "free" and getting out of my religious box, He changed my outlook on such things as "dress"--that it's ok for women to wear slacks/jeans to church, and the men to not always be in a suit---because God wants and desires worship in Spirit and in truth, and isn't necessarily concerned with the outward appearance. BUT I was going to a church not too long ago, very charismatic, Toronto-Blessing type church (hope people here know what I mean by that) and there were young ladies with very short dresses/skirts on up front worshipping away, one young woman's "thong" line visible thru her clothes as she lay prostrate on the floor, and no "modesty cloth" or whatever covering her. I do think some people take "freedom" a little too far, and have not been taught about modest apparel, especially in today's charismatic climate.

Hi Stormy, I can really relate to what your're saying...I'm in my mid-forties, and it's been really hard for me to get close to anyone in terms of intimate friendship over the past several years. Most of my "friends" were in church, and I learned the painful lesson that just because someone's "in church" it doesn't mean they are always trustworthy or care about your well-being and growth as a Christian. I suffered much hurt and betrayal at the hands of "church people". As a result, my spiritual life has suffered a little--I have bounced around from church to church for the past five years, and haven't really made any lasting friendships. The "friends' I had were friends as long as I was going to their church. But what I've gone thru has taught me a valuable life lesson, and this may not pertain to you..but God taught me to go to Him first with my problems, my hurts, my questions...and to not always seek out fallable human beings for comfort or advice. I do believe God does use others to minister to us, to give "a word in due season", but I had to learn to run to Him first, to become intimate with Him first...He wants to be close to Him, to put Him first in everything...but my problem was that I was "running" to everyone else before I would go to Him.

glorywatch, that is insane!! I've never heard of that before

As a 40-something YO female, I would appreciate the honesty, if it were me. It's like ripping off a Band-Aid--do it quickly, it'll hurt for a minute, but it'll be over with.