HappyChristian

Yes. Faster every year.

My hubs is currently doing a series on the history of Israel on Sunday nights. Began before Hamas attacked, so it's not because of the war. I agree it's important to understand about Israel. Far too many people think that biblical prophecy centers around the US. But in reality, it is a good idea to keep our eyes on what's happening in, with, and to Israel.

Thanks, TGL. Means a lot. Merry Christmas to you as well.

@R Sauter First, name calling and caustic comments towards members is not going to continue. It is NOT necessary to use the Old Testament to win a soul to the Lord...so somebody is NOT a "dumb hillbilly" just because they choose to use verses that don't meet with someone else's approval. @TheGloryLand, there is sometimes a need to use OT verses...all scripture is given by inspiration, remember. The NT tells us that the law is a schoolmaster to point us to Christ. If we do not realize that we have broken God's law (which is what sin is) - because nobody can keep the law - we cannot be saved. Using verses from the OT does not mean one is promoting works. @BrotherTony, I think (and I could be wrong, have been before) the "works" reference is in regards to the teachings of Ray Comfort. He does not teach salvation by works, but some of his comments seem to come close. There were no wild accusations, so let's just take a breath, ok? Thread locked.

Not to pile on TLG, but I have to agree that rotation isn't the answer. God places members of His body into the local church in which He wants them. As members, there are skill sets, gifts, and talents that God has given/allowed each member to have - for the good of that local church. If God has given someone the ability to work with children, it is not a wise move to replace them with someone just because they've been at it for "too long." See, rotation does not deal with the heart issues that bring about this kind of travesty that the OP is talking about. It simply moves folks about - and it can lead to confusion. Anecdotal here, but there are folks in our church who would never make it working with children because that is not where their skills/gifts/talents lie. But same said folks make great ushers, greeters, adult teachers, etc. I do agree that far too many churches - of all belief systems, not just IFB (which seems to be a favorite whipping boy to far too many folks, especially on this subject), which is the loosely-aligned group mentioned in this series., have this kind of absolute filth going on. As Tony mentioned, the SBC is no slacker in this area, nor is the RCC, the Presbyterian church, etc. Many folks who decry the independent aspect of the IFB and claim that is the cause of all the scandal forget that the RCC and the Presby churches have hierarchies - which actually do rotate their leaders in and out of churches...the RCC, at least, rotates priests when they've been caught doing egregious things. A pulpit that is manned by a humble, godly man who preaches God's Word...not his opinions...and who teaches holiness (and practices it) will be used by the Holy Spirit to keep this kind of thing from happening in the church they are placed in to under-shepherd. That does not mean there won't be some pervert that happens along and tries stuff, but the Holy Spirit will warn a man who is walking with Him. There are times He uses other folks to do the warning...a humble man will listen. There are a few good books out that deal with keeping abuse from happening in the church. They deal more with child abuse, whether sexual or physical, but they are thoughtful books to have in one's library. We are a very small church, but I've already gotten ideas on how to place our children's area, should the Lord ever allow us to grow. Again, that will not avoid everything, but when we remember that we are dealing with lost people, and even saved people who are still in our sin-cursed bodies, we need to realize that anything is possible and work toward not allowing it to happen. My heart breaks for the folks who've gone through the things many of these have gone through. Man-worship has created an environment of predators who are not called out because, you know, it'll hurt the church. sigh... I have been working with a woman from a distance who was married to such a one. A child molester. A whoremonger. A vile, unrepentant individual who was able to FOOL two different pastors. Both good men, but they are prone to take things at face value, with wives who are not as cynical as I am (sadly, it's true - I am cynical...but it has been used by God to arouse my discomfort and suspicion so that I tell my hubs...and it's usually right. Handled quickly it helps avoid travesty and tragedy). So, anyway...they move to "help" a church, but in reality he was running from folks for things I'm not going to mention. He was teaching kids in this new church...a predator. One who molests children (he even molested his own). The pastor found out BY CONFESSION of the man. AND HE DID NOT REPORT IT because he feared what the law would do to his family and the church family. THIS is one reason predators are safe...men who don't understand the nature of pedophilia and sexual deviancy, who don't follow the mandatory reporting LAWS. So he's still out there, no longer (thankfully) with his family hurting them, but seeking other victims because a pastor neglected to have him arrested. I shudder to think what might have happened to those children in his class had his wife not called me and followed my advice (coming from the Bible and my hubs). She has a rough row to hoe right now, but her kids are safe, she is safe, and God can work to heal them now. Interestingly enough, this lady in the video has called out someone whom I personally know who had made it her mission to "rescue" women from the "cult" she grew up in. Now, there were definitely issues, but my point is: she presented a false front and was caught out. Not all "whistleblowers" who cite facts of abuse are in it to help the victims, but rather have an agenda of their own. I respect this lady because she didn't overlook the nonsense of the "rescuer" simply because she was supposedly helping victims. To answer the OP, I have not seen any episodes yet, but I fully intend to.

Welcome aboard

There is paganism associated with several aspects of Christmas, which is why many folks do not have trees in their homes. We were members of a church where the pastor taught against it, so out of respect for him we did not have one. However, when I found out he allowed his youngest daughter to have one in her room, well, that was it. lol We have trees. God made them, we love them. I know all about the ties to paganism, but here's my answer: 1. we do not worship trees, nor do we pray to them; 2. We still call the days of the week by their pagan names, as well as the months of the year.

Thank you, same to you. Looking forward to spending a few hours with our son/dil/grandson and her family tomorrow. God is so good!

We use Air Power for our bronchial issues. It's a good product. I read about a recipe that claims to help brronchitis - mass a banana with some honey and a couple tablespoons of water (blend it together). Use it morning and night. I have no idea if it works, but if I had bananas, I would have made some for my hubs just for the nutrition.

We are all getting better. Hubs has a cold, so we are praying he will not get worse. This stuff is crazy! I cannot wait til we can all be together in church.

Yes, all three great flavors! Mom makes an orange one and uses mandarins as well. Man, it's good!

Mom makes one quite often for our potlucks. Different flavors of jello makes it easy to change up. She adds an instant pudding to the whipped cream, which helps keep the cream from dissipating too soon.

Sadly, most creation ministries are non-KJV. Nor are the most of them local-church based. These would be reasons we wouldn't host one. I do purchase materials from them, but we are careful as to what we do purchase. We have a gentleman in our church who is an avid studier of all things Genesis. He has begun teaching one Sunday night a month. He does a stellar job. Really brings things out and makes it interestingly informative. BTW, his hair is a bit more than "over the ears" and quite sloppy looking (although not long-haired hippy...I know from hippies, having grown up in the hippy generation. lol). Whether or not we like it, appearance does tell a story - and the point the author made about the fact that this particular church wants the kids from other churches to come to their college is quite accurate, IMO, and makes pointing things like this out viable. While it is not "our" church, were we to be shopping for colleges for our kids this would be a sticking point (although there are many reasons that we wouldn't consider this college besides this lol).

So many in our church are ill - there were only 5 at church this morning (and one of them was Asher). I wasn't able to be there...but hubs had to end the service early. He has been hit by the illness. PLEASE pray for him. Because the only ones who would likely be there tonight (hubs and son), hubs cancelled services. Please pray for our church. Thank you. (hubs was hit with it right in the middle of his sermon)

so i found out today I am + for c*vid. Too far in to it to be allowed to get an antiviral (imagine that), so I'll just keep using what I have here. That means my mom is + as well. She's too old for this! Four of our other members are +, with one other already being over it. Asher's fever broke but it came back on him tonight. Not as high, but still - his parents are exhausted (and Josh is still fighting the sickness). I also have another infection which is bacterial, so at least I got an antibiotic. Ugh, we're feeling punk!

So a gentleman came to church last Wednesday while still sick with C*vid. Saturday my son got sick and still is. By Monday another man in the church tested + for it (I don't know if that's what Josh has). Monday night I got sick, Tuesday my mom did, now Asher has a fever, and another man in the church is getting sick. Tonight my husband is at church alone. Because too many people are sick. Please pray for us.

They'll be working with a native pastor for the first year. They'll be in Yangon (formerly Rangoon). I can't remember the pastor's name, sorry. But this pastor was able to start an orphanage (no shortage of orphans over there!) and an ACE school. God started working on him regarding Myanmar 3 years ago...they started full time deputation after school was out last May. They will be moving to Yangon in January! The funeral is tomorrow.

Please pray for the Rinehart family. Mr. M. Rinehart went to be with the Lord today. It was not unexpected, but there is still grief. The three Rinehart children (now grown and with grown children of their own) attended college in IN and that is how we met them. The daughter, Jennifer, married one of my former students, Dan Armacost, who became dean of the college. Last spring Dan and Jennifer went into full time deputation for the field of Myanmar. It looks like they will be heading to Myanmar this spring! Please lift the family in prayer as they walk this new path.

Yes, because everyone wants to barbecue with frost on the ground. heehee

Not here.

We took a couple from church out for lunch today. Mexican (is anyone surprised? lol) So I didn't have any supper. Hubs had a ham sandwich and veggies.

I agree that the clothing is not the problem, but it is an outgrowth of the problem: totalitarian humanism draped in pseudo-religion and "holiness." There is such oppression and ungodliness in the societies where women are mandated by law to wear this type of clothing (actually, the women in the photo are underdressed for some of the societies...). Clothing is always a result of a society's relationship, or lack thereof, with the God of Heaven. God says that my hair is my covering - hence, I do not need scarves to cover my head for modesty (not saying someone who wears a scarf is wrong, just saying that to claim it is more modest is stepping beyond what God says). The problem with these ladies' head coverings is that they are rooted in a religion of works. There is no modesty or holiness truly associated with them.

Ramaswamy is an American citizen. That is the only thing that is genuine about him. He presents himself to be what he is not, has ties to Soros, etc. If he gets the nomination, I'll write in RFK. As to your question why Christians aren't supporting Pence? Good majority still blame him for allowing the election to be stolen (which it was, but it was not his fault). I don't support him because I lived in IN when he was governor and saw his chicanery. Can Biden make it 4 more years? Not likely...it's more likely that the powers that be want to put him and Harris back in so she will get the office... she is an active participant in the dismantling of this country.

Nah. We rent, so the parking lot belongs to the landlord. So we can't designate anything permanently. Hubs never even parks near the building. He prefers leaving the few spots for those who cannot walk far. I don't think there's anything wrong with designating, if the church so desires.

Yes, I did. lol...when I met Sarah I knew she was the perfect one for Josh. I "introduced" them via Facebook, by encouraging my son to friend her and get to know her. it took a while, but here we are a couple of years later with a wonderful DIL and a beautiful grandson. No regrets on my part, for sure.