Single Christian Network Blog

Divorce, remarriage

2009-07-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

Here is what I have discovered:
Jesus came to heal us, not condemn us.
He came to set us free, not drive us into captivity.

The gospel is a message of hope. It is good news.

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

I know there are people that want to take the bruised and broken hearted and bruise them even more.
I know there are people who want to weigh down the hurting with even more troubles and sorrow.
They want to take the easy yoke and make it hard. They want to take the light burden and make it heavy.

Jesus said it this way:
Speaking of the scribes and the Pharisees:

All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

They had the words down. They had the rules and the law and they were perfect.
And Jesus rebuked them because they didn't know the truth.

The entire gospel message is a message of second chances. It is a message of starting over and starting clean.

The gospel is GOOD NEWS, not a burden to weigh us down and torment us.

To those who say that God gave the law of divorce because of the hardness of men's hearts, and use that to try to force people to endure abusing relationships, have it wrong.

Prior to that law a man could dispose of a woman at will. A woman was property.
A woman's life could be destroyed if a man kicked her out, and thus.... because of the hardness of their hearts, God said "At least give the woman a bill of divorce so that she can start a new life."

That was what Jesus was trying to explain. The bill of divorce was a God given gift to HELP people, not burden them.
And somehow now, that is twisted upside down to force people to endure unbearable burdens.

It is perhaps time to take another look at the real message of the gospel, and expand it beyond just the letter of the law.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world

2009-06-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

Romans 12:2 (ESV) "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will."

On another rather contentious (at first at least) thread, there were two questions asked. One, about the principle of reflecting the world to evangelize it in the name of Christ. Second, about how do we test our faith in God.Herein is God's answer.Any thoughts, insights or such would be welcomed.

Be blessed, be loved and be at peace,

This was posted on the Single Christian Network Community Forums

Here is some interesting Dialogue found on the Single Christian Network Forums about gifts.

2009-06-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

My comments in Red.

Quote from: SALTNLITE on Yesterday at 10:24:07 PM

Quote from: KNGDOMPASSION on Yesterday at 12:23:18 PM

I do not see that this implies that Jesus was never taught. It could simply mean that Jesus was not taught by sect that ran the temple. The Levi's were not in charge of the temple since the people who ran the temple were not Levites since the time of the Maccabean revolt.

The Jews were a close community and reading was not taught in general society; that's why scribes were needed. I'm sure that if a carpenter knew how to read, that in itself would be striking and word would get around.
That is not true, read Dueteronomy, it was required of children to learn the law of God, well male children, meaning they had to read and write, as they were also requied to write it down. Scribes, well they were a special group of men who copied the torah's for the synagogues as well as having special authority to cut some one of from the temple or synagogue. That is the concept behind, having the power to bind and loose.

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To say that Jesus knew it all because He was God, misses the whole point of the incarnation which was about Him laying aside His God abilities, but lived as Adam did before the fall.

But Jesus did know everything, and He did have all godly powers. He predicted His death long beforehand. He knew which disciple had gone to betray Him. He could heal all illnesses, and multiply food to feed thousands. He could change water into wine even though, as He stated, His time had not come yet. He knew all the thoughts of the Jewish leaders. He knew in the Garden how He was going to die, and He asked His Father not to have to go through it.

Matthew 26:52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”

So we see He knew He could call upon all the Angels to free Him physically, but He knew He had to fulfill the Scriptures. How did He know this if, like God, He was not omniscient?

He knew His Father, and He knew His mission was not political deliverence, how did He know this by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was not omniscient in the flesh just as He was not Omnipotent, and Omnipresent.

Yes, He did experience everything we do: that was one of the points of the incarnation. We can say Our God understands everything we go through, because He has gone through it. Jesus knew what it was like to be tempted. We can't say He doesn't understand what we're going through, or how we feel. He walked as a human. He knew hunger, thirst, pain, betrayal, disloyalty, being lied about, everything that brings us down.
If He had no Godly abilities, how could He walk on water or calm the storm? Could Adam control the weather? Jesus brought up fish into a net so that the nets began to split, even after a fruitless night. He brought people back from the dead! I'd say His godly abilities were pretty intact.

[size=12pt]He knew the same we we can know, by the Holy Spirit who indwelt Him as He does us. We don't know what Adam could do before the indwelling God left him, yet Adam would not have needed to do what Jesus had to do because Jesus had to act in a world that manifested the sin of Adam. Why do you think He said, and greater works than these shall you do, that does not imply we have Godly powers, but it does mean that we can operate by having the same Holy Spirit dwelling in us, equipping us, and working through us, just as He did with Jesus.[/size]

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Simply taking one verse does not prove anything.

And yet there is no scripture that refutes it. Every verse is in the Bible for a reason: God wanted it there.

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There were many other ways one could learn rather than going to one Rabbinical School or other.

Again, it was not something that was taught to just anybody.
That is simply not true

Jesus' family had no clout and probably little money.

[size=12pt]What do you think the gifts of Gold Frankinsence and Myrh were for. There is a tradition that says these gifts were the inheritance from Daniel, and handed down to wise men who stewarded it for him, until the Messiah came, and they were obviously taught to look out for the sign.
[/size]

And Jesus was busy learning carpentry from Joseph until He began His ministry. You have just contradicted yourself, if He had God knowledge to read and know the word, why did He know need to learn to be a carpenter, after all He could have shown Joseph a thing or two.

If it was common to read, no one would have commented on it. The Jews may have known Jesus did not study under a rabbi, but if everybody or anybody could read, they wouldn't be surprised at His skill.
That is an assumption that does not satnd up to the facts.
It was simply an arrogrant and prideful statement in its context. After all the pride an arrogance of the Rabbi's and Pharrisee's and Saducees, come on, Jesus was address them all the time showing how they were so prideful and arrogant. Do you think their trying to trap Him was not pride showing.

Salt'nLight

Quote from: SALTNLITE on June 04, 2009, 06:07:32 PM

Hi all,

I looked it up too.

John 7:14 Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.

15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?

KJV

Our God knows everything. He was the Word before He became Christ. He invented all languages; how could He not know them? It's such a wonder and such a beautiful thought, and to me underscores the fact that He, Jesus, was God. When I pray to Him in English, He understands; when others are praying to Him, even simultaneously, in multiple other languages, He understands them too. Doesn't it sound right? Those Jews could have gotten together and made a secret code to encrypt the scriptures and Jesus would have read the words as easily as I read my morning paper.

Salt 'nLite

Divorce and Remarriage for the Christian

2009-05-15T11:43:00.000-07:00

There is such confusion in the body of Christ on this issue; of course there are many other issues that confusion reigns.
Paul say’s in 2 Cor. The letter killeth but the Spirit bringeth life. I am astounded how people only want to look at individual verses, but I guess this comes from our Greek mindset, and our penchant to systematic theology, another Greek idea, rather than seeing theology as the Hebrew does as a whole unit, unable to be separated. The Greek way is like dissecting a frog and in the end all you have is dead theology. That is exactly what systematic theology alone does.
Jesus in Matt 5:31 – 32 begins the New Testament teaching on this issue, however to look at Matthew outside the context of the Old Testament leads to error. The issue has to be understood in the Hebrew way. The above verses must be looked at in the framework of these Old Testament passages.
a) Dueteronomy 24:1 – 4, is the basic text on divorce and remarriage.
b) Exodus 21:7 – 11, which clearly sets forth the rights of a former slave girl who has become a wife. She could demand a divorce under certain conditions which deprive her as a wife.
c) Dueteronomy 21:10 – 14, Shows God’s law regarding a military captive who has become a wife of one of her captors.
d) Ezra 9 and 10, Shows the mass “putting away” of foreign/pagan wives, which many in Israel had taken in violation to God’s commands. As Ezra had brought them back to God’s word they in repentance were required to “put away”, not divorce, why because according to the Covenant those marriages were not considered valid.
e) Jeremiah 3:6 – 8, reveals how God divorced Israel, the confederacy of the 10 tribes who worshipped in Samaria. This is the first and only divorce recorded divorce in scripture, even though is was a regular occurrence.
It is worth noting that God in putting away Israel, which was all He was required to do, as Israel had been an idolitous wife, but He also divorced then thus giving them total freedom to go an marry whom ever they wanted.Jeremiah, says that Judah, her treacherous sister was worse, then why not also divorce Judah, simply because Jesus had to be born of the tribe of Judah and to be conceived out of wedlock/covenant would have mad Jesus an illegitimate son, and thus unable to obtain the birthright/inheritance.
f) Malachi 2:14 – 16 This passage shows how God views simply “putting away” the wife of they youth, rather than giving a bill of divorcement as demanded by the Mosaic law.
It is plainly obvious that “putting away” Hb Keriythuwth and “divorce” Hb Shalach were two separate concepts, any one caught in adultery was to be stoned, however there was also another practice called putting away, for this cause. Why? Simply no one could be stoned unless there were two or three eye witnesses, and it this situation it would be hard to find those witnesses. If a woman was pregnant, whilst it would be an obvious conclusion, to show adultery, you still had to have the “eye witnesses”.
The only valid reason for “putting away” was for adultery, every other failure of a marriage required a divorce, or letter or bill of divorcement. Those whose marriages broke up for any reason but adultery, and were not given a bill of divorce were seen by the community as adultresses. There is another problem, and that is that usually a women could not sure for divorce, it was usually the men who did so.
In Malachi 2:14 – 16 the practice of “putting away” and no divorces being given had become so common, that when Jesus arrived on the scene, this is what was happening.
The theological school of Shammai taught that a man could not divorce his wife except upon moral or religious grounds. Although the school of Hillel agreed, they added that anything that annoyed or angered her husband was grounds to simply put her away. Contrary to popular belief that is in error, the passage does not say that God hates an essential written divorce which He provided for. It simply addresses the practice of “putting away”.
Having shown that the Hebrew shows two different concepts we now look at the Greek and find exactly the same thing, but in reading the King James we do not see this and then misinterpret what Jesus was saying. Note how it is written.
Mat 5:31-32 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
How this passage should be translated.
a) Mat 5:31-32 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away630 “apolusee” which is the third person, singular, subjunctive active of “apoluo”][/color] his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:647 “apostasion” meaning the written letter of divorce that was required by “Mosaic Law”] But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away630 [“Apolelumeneen” which is the accusative singular feminine participle perfect passive of “apoluo”] his wife, saving for the cause of fornication,4202 [Notice the word is not adultery, which is the word the Jesus would have used if only adultery was in mind.
The word is “porneia” which speak of unfaithfulness to the covenant, a harlot which is what Israel was condemned for, and it had nothing to do with sexual immorality, infact sexual immorality was a symbol] causeth4160 her to commit adultery:3429 [This is simply stating if a woman is put away and has no bill of divorcement she is seen in the community to have been an adulteress] and whosoever shall marry her that is put away630 [again without a divorce ] committeth adultery.3429 [Why? Simply because if she has been simply put away, for any other reason than fornication, she cannot remarry, why? Because she did not get bill of divorce, meaning she is still bound to the husband.
b) The same applies for Matthew 19:9. Jesus used the word “apolusee” which is the third person singular, first aorist subjunctive active of “apoluo”
Let me make some additional comments here. Mat 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. Here Jesus is showing that this is not how it was before the fall. After the fall because of mans sinful nature, man did sinful acts against fellow man. A married man against his wife and a wife against her husband. The concept of divorce was to allow the innocent party get on with their lives out of bondage.
Now try and tell me that things are different today, Christian men and women though saved can still live and operate with a carnal mind. Women and men who are unfaithful to covenant need a way to be free from a partner who WILL NOT change. I am promoting divorce, absolutely not, but it may be the ONLY choice. Remember divorce is NOT a symptom or cause, but it may be the ONLY solution.
c) Mark 10:2, 4. The word here is “apolusai” which is the first aorist infinitive active of the word “apoluo”.
i) The exegetical fact is that Jesus clearly taught that the only way a man could scripturally put away a wife was to first give her a written bill of divorcement. Note the sequence given in Mark 10:4; which follows God’s instructions in Duet 24: 1-4. God made provision for divorce to protect helpless women from hardhearted men. It must also be strongly emphasized that Jesus did not say that men or women who had to divorce a companion, could not marry again.
A final comment before looking at Paul, was that Joseph was going to put away Mary , not divorce her, for from natural observance it appeared that she had been unfaithful. It was only after a dream in which he was told that the child that Mary was carrying was not the result of adultery but of the work of the Holy Spirit, and thus obviously confirming Mary’s testimony.
What does Paul say on the subject.
Paul’s teaching on this subject never contradicts Jesus teaching, just as Jesus teaching and Paul’s does not contradict the Old Testament, they go hand in hand like a glove. Also not that the ONLY scriptures they had were the Old Testament, as well as some of the writings that were in development. Paul’s teachings would be some 20 years after Jesus.
As the church was being established throughout the gentile world, note that it wasn’t till about the 90’s and on, that the major infux of gentiles came about. Up till the 60’s and 70’s a greater percentage of converts were Jewish. Paul’s admonition in the book or Romans was “to the Jew first”, as it was with utmost urgency to reach the Jewish people, why? Because the covenant they were under was going to be removed, so the New Covenant that was cut for them would stand alone. Any Jew not entering into the New Covenant once the Old was removed would be without a covenant.
a) 1 Cor. 7:1-6 the husband’s and wife’s mutual sexual responsibility to each other.
b) 1 Cor. 7:7-9 Paul says that not everyone is gifted with the gift of celibacy.
c) 1 Cor. 7:10-11 Paul’s teaches about the basic rules for a Christian wife and husband.
d) 1 Cor 7:12-16 is dealing with the concepts of the unequally yoked couple. Telling not to be unequally yoked, but teaching that if one is they should work to keep their marriage together. It is obvious that these people would have known about or heard about the Command of Ezra to put away their non-covenantal/foriegn wives. Paul says that “if the unbeliever chooses to remain, then the children are clean, and in doing so he may come to a personal relationship with Christ because of your testimony. If he departs then you are no longer bound by the marriage.
An important and wider application note here; it is obvious that Paul understands that believers never depart, because they by the very nature of kingdom are the true heirs and stewards of covenantal inheritance, children and property, and thus extended to mean the earth
Also note that even prayer or fasting could not interfere without each others consent. Paul shows that this is not listed among the Old Testament commandments.
e) 1 Cor 7:27-28 Paul talks about the advantages of celibacy, because of the darkness of the times they were in, the light of the church was nearly extinguished. To think that we are in similar times today is really a bit of a joke. One only has to read Josephus and about the rule of Nero and the Jewish wars to know that one age was finishing as a new age had already was coming to maturity. It was truly a clash of kingdoms and as Jesus called it the night when no man could work. So Paul says are you bound to a wife, don’t seek to be looses, are you loosed from a wife don’t quickly seek to be bound again, but if you do, you have NOT sinned.
Let me also deal with the issue of Romans 7.
a) Rom 7:2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to [her] husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of [her] husband. People use this to say if you are divorced, and your ex is still alive, you are still bound to him. This is so untrue, but is used to again put people under bondage.
b) Firstly the context here is Romans 6:18 – 7:6 The issue is not marriage but Paul is using marriage to explain and what death relating to sin is. Death is covenantal/spiritual death.
c) Secondly when one is divorced which is death of a marriage, one no longer has a husband or wife. For the ex spouse is now dead to the covenant.
i) I have seen people so bound up by what is taught from this passage, that they still believe for the ex partner to be restored to them, even when that partner is remarried. This is nothing more than heresy and soul ties. They still confess that the other person is still their husband or wife. These people are never happy and can never get on with their lives.
If you are free then you are free, its that simple.
A parting thought. Have you ever wondered why second+ marriages have a higher failure rate. The reason is because of wrong teaching and thus sealing in the minds of those who have been divorced, a second class citizen mentality. They never think that they can have a higher way of living, so the barriers come down, the ideals come down, their self worth is affected for the worse. They generally settle for second best, and often out of loneliness seek companionship and with a wounded heart develop soul ties that possibly sealing the fate of another failure.
Wholeness is the first key.
Knowing who you are in Christ, and no longer seeing yourself as second class or less citizens.
Divorce is only the burying of a broken covenant that is dead, and are thus free.
If you are free then you are free, its that simple.
Additional comment. All this presupposes that the marriage we are looking at is one that God has brought together. Matt. 19:6b “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” This not only establishes equalness, [co-joined]but also shows that only those who are of the same character, strength, ideas can be yoked together. In this case we see God, like a farmer, who knows the importance of matching the beasts. Anything else is just mans putting together, and in most cases it is the man or woman that makes a choice not in God’s plan. Does that mean that if God hasn’t brought you together, that you get a divorce, NO. It just means you have an uphill battle but with God working in both lives you can make it.
IHMS
Pastor John McDonaldschoolofthekingdom[at]gmail.com
John's website is here. Note it is still under construction.

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The true purpose of REAL church!

2009-05-08T15:21:00.001-07:00

We must understand that the church’s purpose is to equip it’s people to deepen and/or establish their walk of faith, and relationship, with God. This is a two-fold purpose as it entails their calling (walk of faith) and their discipleship (relationship with God). All can claim daughter/son relationship once they embrace Christ, but none can claim discipleship without being taught, without searching and studying scripture, and without living what they know.But if you don’t know it you can’t live it. This is the function of the church and it’s pastoral ministry.The post-modern church seek conversion through evangelism. This is not it’s purpose, as this falls to apostolic ministry and not pastoral church. The church is the vineyard in which faith grows. Evangelism is where you procure those that need planting. The harvest is God’s! Once it is understood what is needed, by whom to whom, then you can revive the faith, reform the church and build discipleship in the body.There is too much “enjoying church” instead of “deepening the faith”. I have been to the on-fire churches and they are VASTLY different than many we see today. They promote a deep and real relationship with God, and strive to teach discipleship from the pulpit. However this is the exception rather than the rule. We need only look at the third world churches to remember HOW it should be. This is what they do in most all of their churches.I have been blessed that on my site to have many Indian (India) Pastors who share their burden and give insight into what they are doing for the Lord. Remegio Blanco (Philippines) is also a pastor with a burden to not only evangelize, but to build the body of Christ. More of an apostolic approach, he has ministries as well as churches, the work is on both fronts, one to bring them into the fold, two to teach them how to have and build a disciple’s relationship in and through Christ.Here in the USA I see too often pastors ostracized for actually teaching, and believing, the Word as written. To truly take a face value the authority of God, and His tenets, in their lives and the lives of their congregants. Budgets, new buildings, outreach ministry (while their own is floundering), and other concerns, precludes the instruction of the body into discipleship, and some can’t instruct because they themselves don’t know.The question has always been “what do you do AFTER they enter the fold?” Too many congregations just don’t know!The church is not the body of Christ, even though there are churches IN the body of Christ. What you have is individual relationships that constitute the body of Christ, much as the hand, ear, nose, etc. constitute our physical body. There is unity, and unified purpose and action, but each part is singular and of a specific and particular action.The body of Christ is failing because too many decide that there are only two parts necessary to function, those who lead, and those who follow. That is a great misinterpretation as you follow only Christ, and that unction is to ALL that are of the body. But when we recognize the functioning areas of the entire unity in Christ, then wholeness can restored.“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death (of the body of Christ-added for emphasis)” Proverbs.And it is most true that “my people perish for lack of knowledge…”The goal of Christianity is to be like Christ (Luke 9:23) and to walk in discipleship NOT just son or daughtership. It is like the monk who follows a revered Master. We follow Christ who is, and was, and shall always be, no less than God on earth. Each one takes that journey individually, and it is not for us to discern whether a person is at a place of maturity to reproduce their faith in another. That requires a judgment beyond our own capabilities.God plants the seed, God reaps the harvest.We, by the very living of our lives, show the example of what our journey enfolds in us. In other words as we progress, our faith deepens, and our actions bespeak the relationship we are forging with our Father God. This then will ignite a flame of desire within the hearts that God has already prepared to follow Him. We do not do it, nor can we, the work is His. Christ told His disciples “you will reap where you have not sown”. This is to the church as well.But we must always remain “instant in season”…. that God can use us as He wills.Different tools (Bible seminary, et al) reach different people. That is why different churches, pastors, ministries, speak to a different audience than each other. My sister always prays “God speak to me in a voice that I can hear…” There are many voices, but we only hear that which speaks to our souls and strengthens our walk. This is how it should be.The church is to speak to those who need, and desire, discipleship. To, in essence, move beyond redemption and walk fully in the promises under Grace. A different church should only be a different voice, and not a different theology. But when you proscribe to the offices of men the authority of God, you fall away and teach a different gospel, and fail at bringing in a harvest of disciples before the Lord. A church that does this blasphemes God.I have had countless arguments with those who proclaim that the reformers all agreed on that person’s point. I always ask “but does God?” Many manmade theologies out there, are entrenched into the character of the church. They are proclaimed truth, and the way a Christian should believe, eschewing the truths of God. That is why most, though not all, churches are no longer in the body of Christ. You must preach, teach, and beseech Christ in order to have Christ.Anything less is another doctrine, of another God.Be blessed, be loved, and be at peace.Jonathan

Is it Zeal or Something Else?

2009-04-17T06:34:00.001-07:00

Is it Zeal or something else?

J.D. Payne 08 Nov 2004
We as Christians are admonished to have a zeal for the faith. But as Paul says in Romans 10:1-3: "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." So we must be cautious that we are NOT establishing our righteousness but the righteousness of God. A definition of this in a worldly sense is: Fanaticism (n.) Excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions, on any subject, especially religion; religious frenzy. Possessed with or motivated by excessive, irrational zeal. I feel that in many ways, in many of the Christian forum board posts, individual discussions and other Christian interactions, including church and small groups, we have passed into the realm of fanaticism or, as the above definition elaborates, "Possessed with or motivated by excessive, irrational zeal." Especially when we get into fighting to have our own viewpoint or perspective dominating over everyone else's view.Peter tells us that we are to approach things from an entirely different viewpoint. A point of humility and meekness. It is here in 1 Peter 3:15-17, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing." Because we are supposed to..."ROM 14: 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. CO1 10: 23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. TH1 5: 11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do." Obviously these are not MY words, but scripture from the Word of God, whereby we know, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." Think before you speak. Are your words uplifting or do they offend? Do your words enlighten and teach, or do they accuse? Do your words show love and respect, or do they ridicule and condescend (deal with people in a patronizingly superior manner)? From the abundance of the heart a man speaks. And we should ONLY be speaking in LOVE.... So, I leave you with this thought. We as the body of Christ should be a living example and testament of the glory of God shining forth through His children. We should be that peculiar people BECAUSE we are a royal priesthood and a holy nation. WWJD, what would Jesus do? Not a lot of what we are doing these days! Be mindful of the other person as if you life depended on it, because when you are standing face-to-face with the creator of the universe — it just might! Be blessed, be loved and be at peace, J.D. PayneJ.D. Payne is the webmaster for http://www.pathwaysofgrace.com/

Being Safe in Online Dating

2009-03-01T14:42:00.000-08:00

There's a lot talked about using online communities and their potential risks to your personal information, personal finances and even personal safety. But in truth it doesn't take a lot to minimise those risks, if not eliminate them completely.
Follow these few simple check points and you'll have nothing to worry about.
Passwords
As with any login information, choose a password that you can easily remember but that would be difficult for anyone else to guess. Childrens' names are easy to remember but could be quite straightforward for someone who knows you to guess. Passwords such as "password", "123456" or "qwerty" are a definite no-no, as is your own name!

Personal information
We all want to appear open and friendly when we're meeting new people, but we should also be careful to make sure we want someone to have our information before giving it out. Single Christian Network has a wonderful Messaging system which means you don't need to give out any contact information at all until you're happy to, so don't be afraid to tell someone that you'd rather stick to the on-site system for a bit longer. If they're genuine then they won't have a problem.

Scammers
You should treat people in much the same way online as you do in the real world. If someone you barely know asks to borrow money or asks for any sort of financial details whatsoever, then alarm bells should start to ring. You wouldn't expect someone you met in the pub last week to ask for money, and you shouldn't expect it online either. If you have any such contact from another Member then you should use the "Report this profile" link to alert our team.
Personal safety
There's plenty of advice knocking around for when meeting up with someone you've met online, but the bottom line is that you should always stay in control. Meet in a public place, tell someone when and where you're going, and arrange to call them at a given time to confirm all's going well. If your date is worth their salt, they will completely understand and, rather than having a problem with your caution, will probably just be impressed at how well organised you are.
Don't panic!
When all's said and done, the vast majority of people you meet online will be genuine people just like you who are simply looking for a date and a bit of fun. Unfortunately, it's best to plan for the worst and then allow people to prove themselves otherwise, but don't let the occasional dodgy character spoil your enjoyment. Just be aware that there is the odd one out there and exercise a little caution, as you would in any other place where you're meeting new people.

Christian Singles can find lots of safety suggestions at Single Christian Network

we must pull out!

2009-02-16T05:19:00.000-08:00

Every day there are news reports about more Americans being killed. Why are we still there?

We took the land by force, but the occupation causes us nothing but trouble.
Why are we still there?

Their government is unstable, and there is no real leadership. Why are we still there?

The people are uncivilized. Their customs and lifestyles fly in the face of everything that we believe in. Why are we still there?

There are more than 1,000 religious sects and almost as many languages and dialects. Why are we still there?

We are not able to secure their borders. Why are we still there?

They are millions of dollars in debt, and it will cost millions more to rebuild, which we can't afford. Why are we still there?

Clearly, we must pull out.

WE MUST ABANDON CALIFORNIA!!!

Water into wine

2009-01-21T10:18:00.001-08:00

Topic: Was the water turned into wine fermented ? a brother asks whether the wine produced by the Lord from water was alcoholic or not.This was the first miracle our Lord performed. I wonder if brothers and sisters here would share with me their understandings of this miracle.For me, I see here the blessing of marriage. That is the LORD wants His children to get married and He would be present and bless marriages between His children provided they are under His will and in His Name . I see also a message of LOVE. the Lord cares about our everyday needs. These people were having a party and at some point they did not have enough wine to let the party continue. So He intervened for His children because He loves them and cares for their needs. Thus the Lord wants us to be happy, to celebrate and have good time together. Notice that the Lord did not tell them "Okay guys, you had enough drink for now". The message here is that He leaves it to us to set up our limits, I am sure there were fun and dancing going on and the Lord did not mind that. But He would have minded if people got totally drunk and start misbehave.I also see an example of obedience to our parents. Even though He question His mother's request, nonetheless He performed the miracle. I used to discuss this miracle with the kids at the Sunday Kids liturgy that I animate, and you would be surprised of answers and ideas kids can come up with. I think we can all learn from each others, and sometimes the kids can teach us things about the Lord that we cannot see.Anyone wishes to share ideas on this wonderful miracle ? Thank you and Blessings

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We are one in the body

2008-12-11T05:49:00.000-08:00

When I raised my own family the decision of one would affect the rest. When my son made a foolish mistake while working at CompUsa and tried to impress a friend by not ringing up his DVD and slipping it into the bag, he wasn't the only one that paid a price. Oh, he suffered for sure. He was led out of the store in handcuffs. I got the call when he was at the juvenile dention center. Then it was my turn to suffer. I was scared FOR him. I spent that night taking care of the things needed to get him out of there. I spent another 6 months taking him to court required meetings with probation officers and the other required items. His small mistake affected other people. He was not the only one affected. When I was growing up there was enough trouble caused by me and my siblings to affect the whole family. One of us didn't pay the price. We all did. The whole family was impacted by the decisions of one. Was it everyone's fault? No. But we all shared the burden of a mistake. I shared the consequences of the actions of my brothers and sisters. When I cut my hand opening a can a while back, my whole body hurt suffered along with my hand. I had trouble sleeping. Had trouble typing. I didn't feel like doing normal things that I might have done. My life was altered because of something that happened to my hand. My body was affected by a body part. Now listen to what Paul said in Corinthians speaking of the body: "If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. "I have other brothers and sisters outside of my immediate family. Not just within a church body, but within the body human. My actions affect my neighbors. The actions of my neighbors affect me. We are all connected - intricately. If I think of "judgement" as the lashing out by God to punishment I perhaps misunderstand. If I see judgment as the natural result of my decisions things become clearer. In the same way that my human body is affected by the pain of an appendage, we as the body of Christ -- and the body of humanity -- all do experience the judgment of God because of the choices and actions of our fellow travelers. If someone harms my loved ones I really do experience that "judgment." I experience the pain, and the loss and the suffering even though I may be completely innocent. I hurt for and with those people. If I make stupid decisions and do harm to someone else, then not only I will experience that judgement, but the person I harmed will suffer, and the people around that person will suffer. We are all intimately connected.When we start seeing this intimate connection we might stop thinking of "us" and "them" and stop seeing good guys and bad guys and seeing some people as the "enemy." Instead, we'll see that we are all brothers and sisters - yes, even those people that we don't like. We are all composed of the body of humanity.So, will I be judged for my ancestors decisions to keep slaves? You bet I will be. WE are paying the price for that right now. All of us. The struggles that one race still goes through in America is a direct result of the actions of our forbears and we all still experience that struggle with them. Slavery is only one example. Humans have made so many terrible, horrible choices, and today, we as society and civilization still are recovering from those choices. Entire nations, countries, races, peoples of all walks of life are affected. They are experiencing that judgment. The innocent people in Iraq are paying the price of decisions made by other people including their leaders and the leaders of other countries. That country will be suffering for a long time, for generations. When Jesus said that sin would be carried on to the 3rd and 4th generations he was not eliciting and indictment as much as statement the truth. What I do affects my children, and their children, and their children. What we all do affects the rest of us. Some might disagree with the labels that one might choose to use to express this judgment, but the reality is the statements of Jesus are coming to pass. Innocent people today are suffering from the result of the decisions of others. Call it judgment or the result of consequence -- It is the same thing. And yes - innocent people experience it along with the guilty. Now, listen to what Paul said again about the body. This time expand your thinking of what the body is. Think of the body as being all of us jointly connected as humans. The body of humanity. As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. Now the body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should say, "Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body," it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. Or if an ear should say, "Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body," it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. If they were all one part, where would the body be? But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I do not need you," nor again the head to the feet, "I do not need you." Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

A Love Story

2008-11-19T07:15:00.000-08:00

---------A Love Story By Merlene

They were in love for 75 years. She was his wife for 73. It is hard for him to realize that so much time has gone by since the day he started loving Cleona because that day is so clear in his mind. He tells me often how fortunate he was to have her close to him through all those years. And I am fortunate too because I, their daughter, grew up in the light of that bright love and it still brightens my life now that she is gone.She was considered plain. He was movie star handsome, but her true beauty shone from within her for all to see. Her red hair earned her the nickname “Red” all through grade school and high school. She had lots of friends but no boy friends before him. She was more interested in her studies anyway and hoped to be one of the first girls from her small school to go to college and then become a teacher. Then when she was a junior a new student appeared in her school. When she first saw him she got her first crush. Not only was he the most gorgeous guy she had every seen but he was smart and nice. He was quiet and kept somewhat to himself. But she could see the goodness in him even without getting to know him well. He graduated without ever noticing her much. And someone told her that he had gone away to college so she gave up any hope of ever getting to know him any better, but knew she would always remember him. He did go to college, but it was 1931 and a week after he got there he was notified that his father had lost all his money and he had to go home. For the next year he worked on the farm and helped his dad in the saw mill, occasionally driving an old pickup truck into town to see a few friends. He didn’t have any girl friends. But Stella, a friend of his brother’s, had a crush on him and, though he wasn’t interested, he sometimes found himself thrown together with her. One day when he was in town his brother came to him and said a group of kids were going out to the river to roast some hot dogs and do whatever kids did in those days – which was certainly different from what kids do these days. He said all right and loaded his pickup up with some kids including Stella who snuggled up by him in the front seat. While they were at the river, though, he noticed Cleona and started talking to her. She had just graduated and was preparing for college. Though he knew who she was, he was seeing her for the first time. She was sweet and warm and he found himself entranced. He suggested that they go to the truck where they could talk easier. He couldn’t believe how easy she was to talk to. Later when it was time to go home, Stella climbed into the front seat of the truck next to the driver’s seat. But he asked his brother to drive so he could sit in the back and talk to Cleona. Stella was visably angry but he didn’t care. For the first time in his life he had found someone he was really attracted to, someone he felt he could talk to forever. But she was leaving for college in a few days, so he told her goodbye and wished her well. A few weeks later he was delivering apples and went through the town where her college was. He decided to gear up his courage and go see if he could find her. Fortunately she was in her dorm room and they spent a few hours getting to know each other a little better. When she came home for Thanksgiving he went to see her. He found out her grandfather had just died and she couldn’t leave. So they spent a few more hours talking on her front porch and then he knew this was the woman for him. And they had never even had a date.From then on they saw each whenever she was home from college. After two years she took a teaching job near her home town and then they could see each other often. They wanted to get married, but it was against the rules at the school where she taught so they got married and kept it secret until the school year ended.She knew how much he wanted to go to college. And she wanted to do whatever she could to make that happen. It took several years before it was possible but together they did it. They moved to a small farm owned by her parents. They worked the farm, she taught school, and they had two babies. Finally he enrolled in a college too far away to go back and forth. So he stayed there and only came home on weekends. While he was away during the week she took care of us (my brother and me), taught school nearby, and did farm work. He loves to tell this story because he knows it is only because of her love for him and her desire for him to realize his dream that it was possible. During the war he quit college and taught school because it was his way of doing his part while other men were away at war. When the war ended he went back. After he graduated he became a minister and we moved to a different state. Quite a move for a girl from a small town in the Midwest. She didn’t mind as long as they were together. They weren’t together as much as she would have liked because he traveled for the church. But I never heard her complain. They were happy with the life they had together. And he simply adored her. He was proud of her and he appreciated her. He looked at her with so much love and so much pride that one would have thought she was queen of something. And she was. Queen of his heart. And so it was for 73 years. Shortly after their 70th wedding anniversary they went into a nursing home together. Still they were mentally and socially active and happy to be together. He loved taking care of her, making sure she got her insulin shots in the right amount, as he had for years. And she in turn made sure he got his eye drops and that all his needs were met. They were an example for anyone who got to know them, as they had been their whole lives. I have never known two people to be so loved by so many people as they were. Then I got a call that she was having chest pains and was in the emergency room. I went to be with them. By the time I got there he had been by her side for several hours and still refused to leave even to get something to eat or to take a rest. It was after midnight, they had put in a heart stent, she had talked to us, and was resting before I was able to get him to go home and go to bed. Another call a week later. She was not doing well. She was back in the hospital. When I got there that day she was getting some tests so I sent him home and I waited in her hospital room. When she came back she was very quiet for a while. And then she began to talk: “I wish I could tell you what happened to me while I was gone because I want you to tell my grandchildren, but I don’t have the words to describe it. I had to lay on a cold table for a long time and I was shivering. Suddenly I felt a “presence” and it seemed to wrap me in a warm blanket. I became very warm and felt that presence tell me that everything was going to be all right.” As she spoke there was a spirit about her that I had never been aware of before. It drew me to her and for two hours we held hands and talked about her life. She had no regrets and felt so blessed to have had the life she did. Especially she felt blessed to have my dad to love her.We took her back to her “home at Rosewood” shortly after. When she told my dad about her experience, he believed that meant she was going to get all right. But she didn’t. She was in congestive heart failure and a week later they called in hospice. He protested because he knew she was going to get all right and there was no need. But he was told if they didn’t accept hospice care that she would have to go back to the hospital so he gave in. But he was angry. He was upset with the hospice nurses because they were just trying to keep her comfortable and not make her well. He was sharp with me – one of the few times in my life – because I was trying to talk to him about the possibility that she might not get better. He said, “I am just not ready to let her go.” She knew he was giving everyone a hard time and apologized to the nurses when he didn’t hear. But she knew too that he wanted her to stay and so she was reluctant to leave him.The spirit that had been with her in the hospital never left her. She was serene and loving, and being in her presence was a joy and a gift. While he was gone to breakfast one morning, I was laying in bed with her, holding her in my arms, telling her how much I loved her. She said, “I know you do. You show me in so many ways that you do. But I know I can’t last much longer. And when I go, I don’t want you to grieve. I have had 93 years and I am grateful for every one of them. I want you to be happy that I have had such a wonderful life. I am grateful for so many things. But most of all I am grateful for your daddy and the love he has given me every day for 73 years. Be happy for that.”When he came back he sat down beside her and took hold of her hand. She said to him, “I don’t know how much longer I can go on like this. “ I watched the dawning realization fill his face. She was staying only for him. “Oh, Sweetheart” he said, “if you need to go, you go. I don’t want you to stay if you need to leave. I will be all right. I promise you I will be all right.” She looked at him and said, “All right. Goodbye.” And closed her eyes. He and I looked at each other wondering if this was it. But in a few minutes she opened her eyes. Then he and I laughed. But he had released her. Two days later she died. Those two days were sublimely happy for all of us. We rejoiced in the love that filled that room. He was kind to the hospice nurses and they couldn’t believe he was the same person. I felt embraced by her serenity and felt anointed to be in the presence of such everlasting love. When she was gone, he kept his word. He let her go. And two years later he speaks often of how much he misses her but never of wanting her back. He believes he is keeping his promise to her to be at peace without her. He recently had a dream. It was very early in the morning and he opened his eyes to see her standing by his bed. She looked to be in her 40’s and she was beautiful. Her eyes were bright and she seemed vibrantly alive. She never said anything but lay down beside him and gave him an embrace. Then she got up and she was gone. He jumped up out of bed and called her name. Oh, it was a dream, he realized. But he is not so sure.

Sunday Sermon

2008-11-19T06:24:00.000-08:00

Posted from the Christian singles site:

11/9/08 Sermon: To Say Thank You to God

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

>> For the saved followers of Christ to say thank you to God, they must surrender themselves to Him. Their bodies, their lifestyle, their mind and their worship. We are a living sacrifice when we turn over to God the chips of our life.
Work chip, children chip, sex chip, ego chip, food chip, hobby chip, prayer/church chip and decision chip. Turning ourselves, surrendering ourselves our lives over to God can be scary but its worth it.

Psalm 84:9-12 Behold O God our shield and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will He withold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of Hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

Amen

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10 commandments

2008-09-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

From a post at Single Christian Network forums:

Many religious groups say the law or ten commandments are done away,
'Nailed to the cross," But what about Christ's own words,IN Matt.19:17 He told a young man If you want eternal life, Keep the Commandments! Jesus said in Matt 5:17-18 He did not come to do away with the law but to fullfill it. because He said until heaven and earth disappear not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law. Mark 12:30-31 Jesus said,The greastest commandments are these to Love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind and the second is like into it.Love your neighbor as yourself. And in 1 John 5:3 This is love for God to obey His commandments. And in 1 John 2:5 But if anyone obeys His Word,Gods love is made complete in him. there are so many more scriptures but the last one I refer to is in Rev 14:12 where it describes who the saints are.Check it out and see for yourself. As for me I keep the commandments including the Seventh Day Sabbath As Jesus did and also the early first century church.

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What is a sin?

2008-08-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

It is really an interesting list. They seem to be all of equal weight. He doesn't say "this is the really bad one."Here are some definitions:effeminate: not manly in appearance or mannercovetous: desirous of the possessions of another (synonym: jealous)revilers: To use abusive language; to be scornful (synonym: scold)Know anyone with any of those traits? I have them all at times. I have some effeminate traits. I covet - wish I had something that I didn't have. I get jealous. I've used abusive language and been scornful. I hope I'm not doomed. I know lots of folks that are not homosexual but are effeminate and are covetous and are scornful. Some of them sit on row one of the church or preach from the pulpit.

Joyce Meyer is effeminate. She seems to be somewhat covetous given her lifestyle and I've heard her be scornful right from the pulpit. I hope she is not doomed too. We would probably be together.

One more observation: Can women be effeminate? He didn't say he was only speaking to men did he? We "assume" that he talking about men, but it doesn't say that. Who is he writting this letter to? Why didn't he include lesbians being masculine in his list? Just making an observation.The list is really interesting in that it doesn't include some sins that I would consider far worse than any of those.Murder, rape, child abuse for example. It doesn't even list all of the 10 commandments. If I was God I'd send a child abuser to hell before I'd send a homosexual. Maybe they'll both be there. Maybe not. If I was God and had to list the worst sins I'd have murder at the top followed by sexual abuse of a child. I just might even put the sexual abuse at the top of this list. I can not stand anyone hurting children.Homosexuality would be down the list a ways. Jesus did say that didn't he? His list seemed be slightly different than Paul's. Children: Of such is the Kingdom. Abuse one of them and you'd wish you had never been born. Jesus said that. I'm glad I'm not God. Paul seems to have a different list than I'd use.I'm glad I'm not Paul. I'm sure he knew what he was saying. It just confuses me a bit. I'm glad confusion is not a sin.

Christian Singles Info

2008-08-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

Do you plan on meeting other Christians in a library, church or bowling alley? Any way, be prepared. There are many great resources for Christian dating tips to help you while you are online. Single Christian Network is a warm, caring place.

The goal of SCN is to help you find a mate, a date or just new friends. Whatever you are looking for Single Christian Network can help.

You'll find great articles, advice, bible study, prayer support and great chat. Visit a great place for Christian Singles today.

2008-08-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

So you’ve decided to try Christian Personals. Great! Now, lets think safety.

Most online Christian personals, dating sites and jave some online safety dating tips, However, since none of these Christian dating sites can 100% guarantee that your next date will not be a scammer.

Tip 1

Find some Christian friends who would be willing to offer dating tip advice and accountability. You can be accountable to them, and them to you. On your first meeting with your new date make sure your friends know where you are and who are you are with. Arrange a phone call at a specified time so that they know you are OK.

Tip 2

Take thing slow. Use the online services for as long as you need to get to know someone. Use email, the chat room etc. Take your time. If someone is pushing you for private information too soon, let that be red flag. Slow is good.

We'll add more safety tips in the next post.

Be sure to visit a very safe, warm, comfortable Christian singles site.

11 year old healed

2008-08-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

11-Year-Old Girl Diagnosed With Massive Brain Tumor Healed after Prayer and Laying on of Hands
Teresa Neumann (August 9, 2008)
"He said it's got to be a mistake, it has to be. We are going to schedule another test, there is no way its just gone and just the whole time he is stuttering and there is just this look on his face like I don't understand. I don't know. We did another one and it was gone and his words were it was truly a miracle, this has to be the act of God."
(Tyler, Texas)—KLTV News reports that 11-year-old Kayla Knight has received a miraculous healing after an MRI showed a tumor that was covering nearly one-fourth of her brain.

"We prayed," said her mother Amy, who described the severe headaches her daughter had been experiencing.
"We both hit our knees and we were praying. That was actually on a Wednesday so when we got to church we had a good 30 people or more lay hands on her and it just.... you could feel God. I can't say we prayed as much before. I mean we did...but not like this. Not like we do now."
Two days later, doctors sent Kayla to Baylor Hospital in Dallas where she had another MRI. Kayla's mother said the doctor told her the tumor had disappeared. (Photo: KLTV 7 News)
"He said it's got to be a mistake, it has to be. We are going to schedule another test, there is no way its just gone and just the whole time he is stuttering and there is just this look on his face like 'I don't understand. I don't know.' We did another one and it was gone and his words were it was truly a miracle, this has to be the act of God," said Amy.
The single mother added, "I have never been as comfortable in my faith as I am right now. The best way to describe it, I was a mediocre Christian. To be honest. I mean I went to church, the mundane thing. You do this and you do that and you think, 'Okay, I'm going to Heaven.' Looking back now, I don't know that I would have. I know I will now. I know this has opened my eyes and I think maybe God used that to make us better Believers. To make us fully depend on Him."
Click on the link provided to watch a video of Kayla and her mother explaining her miracle.
Source: Clint Yeatts - KLTV News

You can read more testimonies here:
http://www.singlec.com/talk/index.php/topic,11197.0.html

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Should a Woman Take a Man's Last Name?

2008-06-16T08:28:00.002-07:00

I would not mind in the least if she kept her family name. In fact, I would respect it and honor it.

This has nothing to do with honoring a particular relationship within the marriage covenant.

It has to do with lineage.

Name change for a woman was created originally because women were property. I could buy a wife for 10 sheep and 3 goats. If she was really sturdy and produce a lot of heirs it would be 15 sheep and 4 cows. And so, as my property she takes my name. She is "mine."

That is no longer true. Today, she is not my property. She is my companion.

I will give the same respect to the lineage of my wife as I will to my own family lineage. Her roots are no less important than mine. Her mother and father are no less honorable than mine. And thus if she wishes to keep her family name I would respect that, and even honor it.

Please note again: This has nothing to do with honoring a particular relationship within the marriage covenant itself. It is honoring lineage.

And... we should all respect the decisions made by a particular couple. Ever situation may be different.
If my future wife ihas been divorced, I would not want her to keep the name of her former husband. Though, if she has children with that man, then that has to be taken into consideration. It may be best for the children that they have the same name as their mother. And I would do in that situation what I thought was best for them - not me.

Husbands: Would you really lay down your life for your wife as instructed? If so - what value is a name? Give up YOUR name for your wife. Would you?

The situations could be complex and there is no simple ya or nay answer here.

My 2cents.

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Inspiration

2008-06-16T08:28:00.001-07:00

The bible is historical as well as inspirational.

What I mean by that is that there is an actual historical record there. This does not mean that the history is the aways the way it SHOULD be, but the rather way it WAS. It is the record of the success and failures of a group of Hebrews over a long period of time.

The history shows the failings of many people. The history includes cultural traditions. The history includes wars that should not have been. The history includes the bad as well as the good. So, having said that, it is wise that we be careful in saying "well they did it this way in the bible so...." We don't carry every tradition of the Hebrew world with us into today's world. We don't wear robes today because they did in the old testament. We must be careful to separate the historical from the inspirational.

God, I believe, respected the culture of the people He was speaking to. He spoke to them in a way that they could understand. God didn't tell Moses how to conduct electricity through copper (a conductor)instead of cold glass (an insulator) because even the concept of electricity was unfathomable. God spoke to them within the framework of their understanding. God didn't speak to Moses in "Spanish."

What God is saying to you today is more important than than what or how they did things in a Hebrew world, coming out of slavery, and for the most part, very uneducated and ignorant. God spoke to them in a way they could understand. Gave them some rules to help them and let them grow. And grow they did.

Once, I taught my children not to touch matches. "They are dangerous." "Never ever play with these!" That is what I said. I was right.
I told them "Never cross the street without an adult to help you! It's dangerous!" I meant it.
I told them those things because I loved them.
Today, they use matches. They cross the street. They grew up.

So will God speak to you.

Iraq War

2008-03-15T10:13:00.001-07:00

The ideas below are mine. This doesn’t mean I didn’t plagiarize. Far from it. I copied from various sources, one of which is the Ron Paul website. Some sentences below are word for word from there. If I had better writing skills, or more time, I might have found a way to make every word my own, but, alas, I confess. But what you see below is mine in that I take full responsibility for posting it here. If an idea is written below it means I am in agreement with it even if I didn’t coin the original phrase. The ideas below are for your discussion and not intended to be for your approval or disapproval.

There may be little in today’s world that is more important than understanding war and the reasons for war. We live in a world of war. Christians from all walks of life, throughout the world, have differing opinions on war, and specifically this war – the Iraq war.

For over a thousand years there has been a doctrine and Christian definition of what constitutes a just war. The Christian doctrine of a just war states that there should be an act of aggression against a country to justify a war. Does the Iraq classify as a just war?

Let it be very clear: There has never been an act of aggression against the United States by Iraq. We are 6,000 miles from that land. The doctrine of a just war states that all efforts at negotiations must be exhausted. There never was any effort of negotiation between the United States and Iraq. The only purported negotiation was a declaration for Sadam Hussein to destroy his weapons of mass destruction. We now know that he did not have any weapons of mass destruction. What was he to destroy?

Some have believed, and still believe that Saddam Hussein was involved in the tragedy of 9/11. Saddam Hussein was not responsible for 9/11. He and Iraq did not physically attack or harm America or its people. President Bush told us that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and he and Iraq were an imminent threat to America's security. Yet Iraq had shown no hostile intent, not fired a missile or a gun at America, nor had any troops even come near our shore. Even if Saddam Hussein had mass destruction weapons, he had never made a hostile move in recent years toward America, nor had he even threatened us. According to true Christian theology of a just war we did not have a just reason to attack and go to war with Iraq.

I believe the Iraq war is an unjust war. The United States did not have the right to destroy Saddam Hussein and kill his people just because we suspected he might eventually attack the U.S. The preemptive strike policy Bush has established is both unholy and not Christian. This is not new -- many pagan countries embrace it. No aggression is necessary to declare war, only suspicion. This is not true self-defense. When we go to war under this policy we are the aggressor and murderers. Also, we must ask this question -- who made us the judge over other nations to decide which ruler needs to fall? Who made us the policemen of the world? This is an extremely arrogant policy, which sets us up above other nations. The more we will attack other nations under this policy, the more the wrath of the world's countries will be toward us.

We have attacked a county halfway around the world that was no threat to us. We have justified this war by saying, "Saddam Hussein was an evil ruler", "the people needed to be freed from oppression", "Iraq was a threat to the U.S.," etc. But whatever the reasons, they do not justify this war. 9/11 does not give us the right to attack and destroy nations just because we have been attacked and are afraid to be attacked again. The invasion of Iraq and the continued presence there makes us no better than Saddam Hussein or Bin Laden.

Had Timothy McVeigh bombed the CN Tower in Toronto instead of Oklahoma City, would that give justification for Canada to invade the U.S. in response? Suppose instead they had invaded Mexico, explaining it was in the same "part of the world." Would this have been justice?

This is what the United States has down in the invasion of Iraq. In failing to catch those responsible for the murder of three thousand innocent Americans, instead The U.S. lashed out indiscriminately at persons of like ethnicity and faith. Bin Laden walks free while hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis uninvolved in his crimes have paid the ultimate penalty.

Politics creates strange bedfellows. When the Soviet Union stormed into their Afghanistan quagmire, the U.S. funded the Islamic extremists fighting them, not out of identifiable empathy but on the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We did not call the Taliban or Al Qaeda ‘terrorists' then, but 'freedom-fighters.’ None other than Ronald Reagan called them that and he even said that about their leader – non other than Osama bin-Laden. Yes, the U.S. not only funded but also provided the military fire-power to those “freedom-fighters.” Those very U.S. supplied rifles and bombs are now being used to blow up young American men and women in Iraq.

The invasion of Iraq and the continued Iraq war has not made us safer. On the contrary: It has encouraged a revitalization of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists. 3,000 United States citizens where murdered by Islamic fundamentalists. The response by the Bush Administration has taken the nation of Iraq, uninvolved in the attack on America, away from the secular socialist regime previously in power, and handed it over to . . . Islamic fundamentalists. Understand this: The Bush Administration has rewarded Islamic fundamentalists by turning over to them a major Mideast nation not previously in their possession.
President George Bush did a marvelous job of directing and mobilizing the country after 9-11. He should be praised for that job well done. He squandered that good-will however.

The Bush administration has been wrong about every claim they’ve made concern Iraq and the Iraq war. Prior to the invasion they claimed:
Iraq has Weapons of Mass Destruction: Wrong
Iraq supplied resources to Al-Qaeda: Wrong
Iraq was involved in 9/11: Wrong
There will be very few casualties: Wrong
It will cost less than one billion dollars: Wrong
It will be paid for with Iraqi oil: Wrong
They will great us as liberators with flower and candy: Wrong
We’ll be out in a few weeks: Wrong
Every claim the Bush Administration made prior to the invasion was wrong yet, some continue to believe the continued claims made by this administration now. Why are we to believe them now when they have not been right yet?
I’ll state this is as plainly as I can. I believe the Iraq war is one of the biggest blunders in the history of the United States. It was wrong before it began. It was wrong when it started. It continues to be wrong. There are more terrorists in Iraq today than there ever was under Hussein. The war bill is looking upwards of a TRILLION dollars and thousands of lives. It has destroyed a country. It has created hostilities throughout the world against the United States. The invasion has been the greatest recruiting tool the terrorists have ever had. Combine that with the thousands who will never forget that American arms killed their loved ones, and we have created virtually a whole new army of terrorists by invading Iraq. The planning for a post-war Iraq by this administration was horrendous -- there wasn’t any.
One successful outcome of the Iraq was is the creation of new set of millionaires. War profiteering is very big business. No bid contracts to connected political insiders has created a whole industry. Trust me on this: The war contractors do not want to end the invasion. The continued presence there will continue to line the pocket books of millionaires for years to come.
Now, some Christians want to continue to support the Iraq war as if there was no other option and as if Jesus himself was behind the invasion. In Jesus’ day his followers wanted Jesus to do something about the Romans. The Romans. Oppressors. Pagans. The Enemy. His followers expected Jesus to lead the revolt, to lash out, to defend them. They nearly demanded it of him. Jesus always refused. He taught that there is a better way. His ways are not the ways of this world. The people could not hear him. Today, are we like the followers of Jesus of old? Or can we hear the new message? Jesus came with a new teaching, a new message. Do we hear it?

We will never fulfill the true meaning of Jesus’ teachings as long as we look at war as being the only path to peace. As long as we see war as the “only” way, we will never see the Jesus way.

Dating Safety

2008-01-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

Dating and Meeting Safety:

There are some simply things you can do to help you stay safe when meeting someone from a online Christian Dating dating site.

Do not give out your phone number until you are very comfortable in doing so. Listen to your inner voice.

Do not give out your email address until you are comfortable doing so. If your email address has your name in it, you might want to consider getting one of the anonymous free email accounts such as hotmail.com or yahoo.com. Or best yet, use the actual mail system provided by the service.

Agree to meet in a public place for the first time.

When meeting for the first time, tell someone else of your plans. Agree to check in with that person at a stated time.

Do not arrange a full fledged date for the first meeting. Meet for a cup of coffee or a coke in a public area..

Agree that the meeting should last for about 30 minutes or less. At the end of that time, if you are feeling comfortable you can extend the meeting. Otherwise, say your goodbyes as you have previously agreed to. This way you if you discover that you are uncomfortable and it is not going as expected you do not have to sit through an entire date.

For the first meeting, drive separate cars. Do NOT have him/her pick you up at your home or vice versa. Meet at the designated location.

If all goes well, agree to do it again for slightly longer period.

Only when you are comfortable do you agree to a full date.

Poo on the Floor

2007-12-24T11:06:00.000-08:00

There was poo on the floor.

Is there a better way to say that? Perhaps. But let’s be honest.
The place stunk. It was filthy. Smelly. Dirty. It was unsanitary. The air was filled with maddening, disgusting flies. It wasn’t fit for humans. I’ts why the animals were there.

Animals. Not friendly puppies and kittens, but cows, sheep, pigs, livestock. It was a barn. Actually a barn by today’s standards is probably an upgrade. Been in one lately? Cover your nose from the smell? Did you step gingerly to avoid stepping in the dung?
How would you like to eat dinner in there? Sit? Sleep?

How about having a baby?

If you were going to choose where to have a baby where would you choose? A nice, warm, sanitary hospital room with friendly, helpful nurses and doctors to help? A hospital with sanitized emergency instruments? Or even at home in the safety of your comfortable bed with the security of family and a mid-wife close by?

Is there any place worse to have a baby than a barn?
Why would anyone choose a dirty, smelly, unsanitary… barn. Yes, that is what is was. A place to house the animals. If you did have to have your baby in a barn, would you be excited and tell all your friends? “Hey, how wonderful! I had a baby in a barn next to the pigs and the cows!”
Or, would you feel humiliated. How lowly. What would your friends think?

"And they laid him in a manger." A manger. A manger is what the animals were fed from. Is that right? Did they really do that? Would you? This is not the cute, cuddly scenes we see in the Macy's store window. This was real life. A baby, in a barn, laying in the animals feeding area.

Doesn’t make much sense then does it that God, choosing to come to this earth and live with us would choose such a place to start out. God, the King of Kings, creator of the universe, omnipetent… gets born next to… the sheep and goats.

How humiliating.

Shouldn't he have been in the Presidential Palace? The Plaza Suite?

Who would have thought? They were looking for a king and missed the King. They were looking for a prince, a ruler, a powerful man, a mighty man, a rich man. They would never have thought.

Christmas. Santa? New toys? Reindeer?
What is the real meaning? What are you looking for this Christmas? Or Who are you looking for? Find it? Find Him? Maybe we should all take another look.

2007-11-05T09:20:00.001-08:00

Free Christian Dating Site

Are you looking for Christian singles with the same beliefs, ideas, and views as you?

SingleC is a great free Christian dating site made up of Christian singles all in search of Christian dating, pen pals, love and eventually marriage. This site allows Christian singles to meet and greet other like minded singles that share similar Christian values and beliefs.

The opportunities are endless! Also, you can choose to make your Christian relationship as serious as you like, or even as friendly as you like!

On SingleC.com you can find such tools for Christian dating -

Chat rooms

Browse our Christian Profiles

Explore our Christian Forums

Don’t waste another day! Your search for a lasting love is over!

Enjoy this free Christian Dating Service:
SingleC.com

Christian Love

2007-11-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

Christian Love

Christian Singles involved in online Christian dating services are in desperate need of a reminder to pay attention to what is love, and what is not. The most common misconception members have is that love is feelings and an excitement caused by another single Christian's presence. it is most likely to be infatuation, lust, and self-indulgence. The experience that many Christian singles refer to as love is exactly the opposite.

There is excitement from a new Christian dating relationship, or just in meeting other single Christians of the opposite sex. This thrill is not love, but the human drive to be connected with another.

Christian singles need to realize that love is not always fun. The real test of Christian love comes when sacrafices are shared and used to deepen the relationship. If a couple has not have any challenges in their relationship, they have not arrived at the cornerstone to love. It is in the hardships that love begins to mold the two into a real Christian relationship.

Love is a commitment built upon trust, proven over time to build compatibility and mutually serving interest and growth. It seeks the best possible conditions for the other person’s benefit, sometimes at one’s own expense. It is not selfish, crying for attention, and complaining when things do not go their way.(Corinthians chapter 13)

Meet Christian Singles at the Single Christian Network

Single Christian Network Blog

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Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world

Here is some interesting Dialogue found on the Single Christian Network Forums about gifts.

Divorce and Remarriage for the Christian

The true purpose of REAL church!

Is it Zeal or Something Else?

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we must pull out!

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Inspiration

Iraq War

Dating Safety

Poo on the Floor

Christian Love

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