15 dead in Texas elementary school

[Jayne]

2 hours ago, MonicaWife said:

So why do you have weapons if you don't hunt, and say that you trust in the LORD? I just can't comprehend it. 😊 

That's a good question.  I'll answer it.

I have two pistols for self-protection.  I cannot carry them outside my home [except to the firing range] as I do not have my concealed carry permit.  But they are there to protect my home, myself, and my disabled brother.

I trust God for so much.  I thank him quite a bit for watching over me and my brother.  God is amazing.

I also know that trusting God does not mean that one does not use common sense.

• I trust God implicitly and I also take my medications for epilepsy.  He provided that for me.
• I trust God implicitly and I also seek counseling services for my anxiety and depression.  When it began to cripple me, God led me to a wonderful therapist, who is a Christian.  He is helping me so much.  I also seek God for this.
• I trust God implicitly and I also obey traffic laws even when no other car is coming.  He provided, the Bible says, authorities for us to obey and disobeying those authorities is disobeying him.  Romans13:1-2
• I trust God implicitly and I keep two pistols in the house for self-protection.  My father, years ago, taught me how and when to use them, to not be afraid of them, to respect the fact that they are serious things, and to keep them for self-defense.

[Marathoner]

Here's why I don't place my trust in steel. I'm aware this offends some, but it is what it is. 

First, having been born and raised on secure military installations stateside and overseas, firearms were not kept in the house. "Secure" means access to these installations were restricted to authorized personnel; the perimeter of the installation was monitored so fence jumpers (or fence cutters) received a swift, armed response.

I wasn't raised with firearms. My father didn't keep weapons issued to him by the Army in the house.   

Second, I was trained in the effective use and maintenance of small arms (weapons we may carry and use without mechanical aids/vehicular mounting, like sidearms and rifles), the M203 rifle-mounted grenade launcher, the M2 Browning .50 caliber heavy machine gun, and so forth, when I was a soldier in the U.S. Army. It was my duty to meet the Army's standards with regard to proficiency with and the proper care of all weapons assigned to me. 

I didn't know nor serve the Lord at that time, so my trust was in steel. However, I learned the value of obeying commands and following orders, so my experience in the military wasn't worthless by any means. It prepared me for what came after my term of service in the U.S. Army concluded:

The Lord claimed me, calling upon me to put my trust in Him to the exclusion of everything else. I would serve the Son of God and wherever He sends me, I walk in the way given to me: in the Spirit of God. I never had occasion to devote myself to accumulating possessions of any kind, as these were lost many times over, and food was more important than a firearm. In any case, a homeless drifter found in possession of weaponry does not sit well with local law enforcement, my friends. 

I have no need of such things. Whatever befalls me is the will and purpose of God, which is my confidence. I've faced armed thugs with nothing in my hands and it pleased the Lord that they could do nothing to me. It's not my place to defend this body of flesh and blood because it returns to the dust. It's my place to pour myself out for others as Jesus Christ pours Himself out for all. I don't place my trust in steel.  

Edited May 31, 2022 by Marathoner

[Ani Tefillah]

4 minutes ago, Marathoner said:

Here's why I don't place my trust in steel. I'm aware this offends some, but it is what it is. 

First, having been born and raised on secure military installations stateside and overseas, firearms were not kept in the house. "Secure" means access to these installations were restricted to authorized personnel; the perimeter of the installation was monitored so fence jumpers (or fence cutters) received a swift, armed response.

I wasn't raised with firearms. My father didn't keep weapons issued to him by the Army in the house.   

Second, I was trained in the effective use and maintenance of small arms (weapons we may carry and use without mechanical aids/vehicular mounting, like sidearms and rifles), the M203 rifle-mounted grenade launcher, the M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun, and so forth, when I was a soldier in the U.S. Army. It was my duty to meet the Army's standards with regard to proficiency with and the proper care of all weapons assigned to me. 

I didn't know nor serve the Lord at that time, so my trust was in steel. However, I learned the value of obeying commands and following orders, so my experience in the military wasn't worthless by any means. It prepared me for what came after my term of service in the U.S. Army concluded:

The Lord claimed me, calling upon me to put my trust in Him to the exclusion of everything else. I would serve the Son of God and wherever He sends me, I walk in the way given to me: in the Spirit of God. I never had occasion to devote myself to accumulating possessions of any kind, as these were lost many times over, and food was more important than a firearm. In any case, a homeless drifter found in possession of weaponry does not sit well with local law enforcement, my friends. 

I have no need of such things. Whatever befalls me is the will and purpose of God, which is my confidence. I've faced armed thugs with nothing in my hands and it pleased the Lord that they could do nothing to me. It's not my place to defend this body of flesh and blood because it returns to the dust. It's my place to pour myself out for others as Jesus Christ pours Himself out for all. I don't place my trust in steel.  

Many who have weapons use the "excuse" that they need to defend themselves. I hope and pray that they will be able to comprehend that if they belong to the Lord, He will be able to defend them....always. 

Some years ago when I was taking a stroll, suddenly an aggressive dog jumped before me, showing me his teeth threatening me. Immediately I shouted in the spirit and ordered him to back off! In the Name of the Lord! He whiened as he turned with his tail between his legs, full of fear of the Lord! It was such a powerful experience. 😊 Just another prove that the Lord was protecting me, and that I can go against any evil in His powerful Name. 

[Marathoner]

13 minutes ago, MonicaWife said:

Many who have weapons use the "excuse" that they need to defend themselves. I hope and pray that they will be able to comprehend that if they belong to the Lord, He will be able to defend them....always. 

Some years ago when I was taking a stroll, suddenly an aggressive dog jumped before me, showing me his teeth threatening me. Immediately I shouted in the spirit and ordered him to back off! In the Name of the Lord! He whiened as he turned with his tail between his legs, full of fear of the Lord! It was such a powerful experience. 😊 Just another prove that the Lord was protecting me, and that I can go against any evil in His powerful Name. 

I know a thing or two about dogs, and they seem to pick up on that when we meet. A woman with a dog approached several shelter staff while we met outside, and her dog went bonkers when my colleagues tried to pet the fellow. I looked at the dog and said, "Hey there pup! Come here!"

He came running and assaulted me with kisses. Hehe. I had a method which I used to call our livestock guardian dogs in when they ignored my adopted mother's efforts. I would stand outside of the gate, crouch down, and open my arms wide. "Hey!", I'd call out. "Come here, you boneheads!" All five would come running to me like thunder, which is when I stood up and took off running for the gate. 

"Aaaaaaah, hurry up and open the porch door!" I called out to my mother while I ran. "They're gonna pile on me!" 

Dogpile! 
 

[Ani Tefillah]

23 minutes ago, Marathoner said:

I know a thing or two about dogs, and they seem to pick up on that when we meet. A woman with a dog approached several shelter staff while we met outside, and her dog went bonkers when my colleagues tried to pet the fellow. I looked at the dog and said, "Hey there pup! Come here!"

He came running and assaulted me with kisses. Hehe. I had a method which I used to call our livestock guardian dogs in when they ignored my adopted mother's efforts. I would stand outside of the gate, crouch down, and open my arms wide. "Hey!", I'd call out. "Come here, you boneheads!" All five would come running to me like thunder, which is when I stood up and took off running for the gate. 

"Aaaaaaah, hurry up and open the porch door!" I called out to my mother while I ran. "They're gonna pile on me!" 

Dogpile! 
 

I've grown up with dogs and my grandpa had "German sheep" (?) dog(s), in Norway we call them "Shäferhund". One of them was named Happy, and now and then we song "Happy birthday to you", and every time we said "Happy", she turned her head around and thought we were calling on her. We thought it was hilarious 😂. 

I don't have a dog now, but I can easily read their body language, as if they are "in a good mood or not". 

[*Deidre*]

It’s sadly surprising that an 18 year old isn’t allowed to buy alcohol legally in the US, but he can buy two semi-automatic assault rifles with hundreds of rounds of ammo and no questions asked. Something needs to change here and I think that the laws can become stricter against guns falling into the wrong hands while still protecting responsible gun owners’ rights. We can talk about all the factors and people along the way who didn’t help Ramos in his lifetime, but he should never have been allowed to purchase those weapons.

[Marathoner]

1 hour ago, *Deidre* said:

It’s sadly surprising that an 18 year old isn’t allowed to buy alcohol legally in the US, but he can buy two semi-automatic assault rifles with hundreds of rounds of ammo and no questions asked. Something needs to change here and I think that the laws can become stricter against guns falling into the wrong hands while still protecting responsible gun owners’ rights. We can talk about all the factors and people along the way who didn’t help Ramos in his lifetime, but he should never have been allowed to purchase those weapons.

Agreed, sister. The same 18-year-old isn't old enough to purchase, own, and carry a sidearm (pistol), but he is legally entitled to purchase an assault rifle which is considered a "long rifle" according to state law. There is indeed something deeply flawed with this scheme. 

I do not preach against firearm possession nor ownership, nor do I begrudge anyone who wishes to rely upon them. However, I am not one who supports notions of "God-given" rights in any sense, for this notion is alien to the scriptures and the teaching of the apostles. Not everyone who owns firearms champions this spin, but it's parroted by many who profess the name of the Lord. 

We are only entitled to what the Lord sees fit to provide to us, nothing more or less. Who are we to demand more, and who are we to seize what has not been given to us? 

Edited May 31, 2022 by Marathoner
typo

[HAZARD]