My Last Ditch Effort
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First, I would not say I found multiple healthy churches I found a few. I was a supply pastor for a time, ordained but with no church of my own, so I filled in where needed, and found the churches that way, later confirming it by meeting the pastors. Now whether or not any of those churches (various denominations and nondenominational) still function and remain healthy, I am not sure. I also confess to declining a permanent position at one church due to the division caused by a previous pastor who embezzled funds from it (his first church) and several successive churches before any church brought criminal charges against him.
Later during this time, I got involved with a regional police task force that dealt with the occult, largely involving issues in churches. Lessons learned from that experience included learning how to discern spirits and that the demonic loves certain generic types of churches, not specific denominations, just a generic cross-denominational pattern.
These experiences, plus a challenge from a professor and continuing studies, have me working on a book with a working title of "Ghoti Christianity", and if you can confidently pronounce the title without any hints, you had a great foreign language teacher. I have had two that both referenced that word to help the class think outside the box.
Love it. They are already pairing up for the Spring. It's cute to see the males feed the females. Like, she's literally standing on the black oil sunflower seeds and he's like "Oh, let me get that for you, mon cheri...".
Ok, what if, and this is speculation on my part, a revival should come.
What would be the balance of miracles and character? Should we prepare through repentance or avert our eyes to sin?
What if a para-church organization could unite believers and bring solutions to those faithful?
I do nothing but think (yes, and pray) and write. I believe my observations are legitimate and significant.
There is a lot of obfuscation to work through.
I agree, a home church group is a good solution if you can find a good one.
Where do people draw their lines?
Consider the apparent contradiction in Proverbs;
Pro_26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be like unto him.
Pro_26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own conceit.
The difference is whether you determine you might be able to help him or whether you might be drawn into his folly.
Those in Corinth were not told to evaluate a brother's salvation but to observe his behavior.
1Co 5:11 but as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat.
If we are unable to find a church where most have resisted the allure of the world, we may have to establsih our own social netword with those who still desire to
Consider the apparent contradiction in Proverbs;
Pro_26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be like unto him.
Pro_26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own conceit.
The difference is whether you determine you might be able to help him or whether you might be drawn into his folly.
Those in Corinth were not told to evaluate a brother's salvation but to observe his behavior.
1Co 5:11 but as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat.
If we are unable to find a church where most have resisted the allure of the world, we may have to establsih our own social netword with those who still desire to
Can I just say that this is incredibly sweet, made me tear up. Bless you for your service to her, you are doing the Lord's work! You can definitely be an encouragement to others who find themselves in that difficult place.
Regarding church, there's plenty of bad ones to be found but I like the one I'm at now. No, it's not perfect. It's not supposed to be. That would be weird, like "Stepford Wives".
The Bible even says that disagreements are essential because the way people handle conflict reveals a lot about their character and relationship with Christ. Plus, a thriving church will be growing and contain people at all different levels of faith and growth, so some immaturity among the members is actually healthy as long as it's not found among the leadership.
The same is true for this site. I just make like a duck and let things roll off. If a person has revealed themselves to be immature I don't take what they say seriously, I just try to help them grow if they are willing to listen. If they aren't I just shake the dust off. There's only so much we are called to anway, only God can truly bring forth growth and the person has to be humble enough to receive it. Even Jesus didn't convert everyone He talked to
.Anyways, I'm glad you found the site! I think you will find what you are looking for if you are patient. There's a lot of great people here, some trouble makers too but God loves them... often they are just hurt or frustrated but of course there's aways a limit to what we should tolerate.
Best to you and your lovely wife, I hope you share more of yalls story here if you feel comfortable doing so!
Cool! I enjoy the birds and squirrels in my back yard here in Texas, too, but I had to construct my own stream and waterfall.
It is just about time to put the pump back in, patch the cracks in the cement and sit out on the porch again.
Cool! I enjoy the birds and squirrels in my back yard here in Texas, too, but I had to construct my own stream and waterfall.
It is just about time to put the pump back in, patch the cracks in the cement and sit out on the porch again.
Ah, yes. We have a little decorative pond with a small waterfall in the front of the house. This year we are putting some little fishees in it. They can keep the frogs company.
And what tiny animal will keep the fishees company?Ah, yes. We have a little decorative pond with a small waterfall in the front of the house. This year we are putting some little fishees in it. They can keep the frogs company.
It's non-stop regression !
Pardon my chuckle, but you're making my argument.
People with casual encounters can't say what goes on behind the curtain.
Picture this: People like me who would be fine if someone were to come to my door and want to look at my phone and go through my computer, and I wouldn't mind at all. They can search my house. They might get sick of looking at pictures of my wife and horses.
Total transparency and trust.
Leaders have addictions, and it isn't a red flag. Sin starts and then grows in increments.
My questions can be expanded to: What sins do you allow in your churches, and what sins do you allow for yourselves?
The reason I challenge people to introduce me to their pastors is because it is the easiest, fastest way to tweak their conscience.
No one I have had a conflict with would agree to this meeting EVER.
People have those who they care what they think of them, and don't want them to know what they do outside their knowledge.
It's my interpretation that it is God's goal as well.
Not the 144,000 or some such interpretation. I don't go there.
There are plenty of outlets for ministry and evangelism.
The problem is that churches make unrealistic expectations if they are going to help those in need.
What's wrong with tutoring or feeding without forcing them to listen to a sermon?
I want to have a games night where kids get taught strategy games like chess and Pinochle.
That would be better than concerts, IMO.
Can I just say that this is incredibly sweet, made me tear up. Bless you for your service to her, you are doing the Lord's work! You can definitely be an encouragement to others who find themselves in that difficult place.
Regarding church, there's plenty of bad ones to be found but I like the one I'm at now. No, it's not perfect. It's not supposed to be. That would be weird, like "Stepford Wives".
The Bible even says that disagreements are essential because the way people handle conflict reveals a lot about their character and relationship with Christ. Plus, a thriving church will be growing and contain people at all different levels of faith and growth, so some immaturity among the members is actually healthy as long as it's not found among the leadership.
The same is true for this site. I just make like a duck and let things roll off. If a person has revealed themselves to be immature I don't take what they say seriously, I just try to help them grow if they are willing to listen. If they aren't I just shake the dust off. There's only so much we are called to anway, only God can truly bring forth growth and the person has to be humble enough to receive it. Even Jesus didn't convert everyone He talked to
Anyways, I'm glad you found the site! I think you will find what you are looking for if you are patient. There's a lot of great people here, some trouble makers too but God loves them... often they are just hurt or frustrated but of course there's aways a limit to what we should tolerate.
Best to you and your lovely wife, I hope you share more of yalls story here if you feel comfortable doing so!
You are so kind!
Living beyond reproach isn't "Stepford Wives", it's fun and Godly. That is a common misconception.
I'm fun, interesting, and creative. People want to have wholesome fun.
They are afraid of giving up their "guilty pleasures". They can't imagine not being able to watch New Jersey Housewives.
People interested in fun and community would stray away from those attractions.
Conflicts are necessary, and iron sharpens iron, but the result is Godliness. And then those conflicts quit happening.
If you let the sins of those you love roll off your back, that's being complicit.
So they spread gossip and ruin relationships. What if it is about you? Is that a line you draw, or do you allow lies to fester?
Who in your life do you not care if it hurts?
I wish someone stood up to my brother when he was abusive to my wife, besides just me.
I'm estranged from my siblings. That's the result of looking the other way.
Ah, yes. We have a little decorative pond with a small waterfall in the front of the house. This year we are putting some little fishees in it. They can keep the frogs company.
FYI, my water feature is a pond-less kit with water flowing through large stones on top of crates to the pump sump.
I do not operate it continuously but only while I am viewing it, and I do not have an auto-refill capability, so I turn on
the hose while viewing to compensate for water loss due to splattering, evaporation and micro-cracks in the cement
that I missed patching or occur later in the operational season when it is too hot for me to want to bother repatching.
Be careful when you reference casual encounters for you do not know how long I associated with specific churches and/or their pastors. Some of these "casual" encounters covered years, the pastor was incapacitated for a time and I covered for him. Subsequently I was the desired backup when he was not available for one reason or another. Now if you call that casual ....
As for "sins", we can all find individual actions we object to in others or ourselves, while ignoring multiple others. Personally, I recognize what specific Sin drives in myself, and since the Bible and modern science both imply that the exact same issue is at play in ALL humans, I mitigate what I get excited about to the most extreme examples of the actions or non-actions this all-trouble-causing Sin provokes, as no one will become totally free of it while living on this earth. Self-righteousness is merely one specific example of this foundational Sin.
Actually, Eli is familiar with you since you already interacted with him in the thread started by myself at the suggewtion of Eli. You might remember I asked you to please post your 'memes' in another thread, perhaps one you could start yourself since the op was for actual art and fine art photography.
You never did start your own thread though. But hey, I think we should just get reacquainted with your problems here though since you brought them up here and decided to play church. This is not a church though, it is a forum. As such, you don't play church here and act like you are offended when you are simply angry that I did not say poor baby but gave you the advice you asked for and thought you were actually wanting to interact.
I have zero interest in interacting with you since you are obviously not a truthful person and have misrepresented the interaction we had a couple of weeks ago. But it will be in this thread since you do not tell me or anyone else here where to post, how to post or what to post. When I asked you not to post memes in an art thread, it should have occured to you that that was a legit request.
You are an actor and a bad actor at that.
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