HappyChristian

You know how people are always passing on certain blessings - like, May the road always rise to meet you, etc., etc.? Well, here is my attempt at a Biblical blessing poem:
Be Strong And Of A Good Courage
“Be strong and of a good courage,” My child,
“Fear not, nor be afraid,” saith the Lord.
May your life be filled to the brim with His promises,
Overflowing with hope and wisdom gleaned from God’s Word.
Jesus is your Shepherd who will lead and guide you;
He will walk beside you every step of the way;
He will lift you up and carry you there in His arms,
Bring you back close beside Him whenever you stray.
There is so much the Lord wants to do for you,
So much your Heavenly Father has in store;
Just when you think that you can’t be more blessed,
God surprises your life with even more.
In His Word, you have His promise to be with you,
Through all the sunny days, and even the bad.
He will work out all things together for your good;
There are so many reasons to “rejoice and be glad.”
As a pilgrim and a stranger on this journey,
May all of your days be filled with Heaven’s best.
As you look back over your life in reflection,
May you find that you have been truly blessed.
December 3, 2023
Jerry Bouey
(Christmas Project 2023)
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Supposedly? The Bible teaches it as a fact - “supposedly” makes it look like you are questioning the Bible.
Also, heresy refers to false doctrine, but it also indicates a wilfull choice to believe it. Making the days in Genesis anything more than 6 literal 24 hours days is heresy. Also, the six days of creation was the beginning - of the universe and of the planet. There was nothing else physically or even spiritually before those six days except the Trinity (or to use a Bible word, the Godhead). Anything else is false teaching a contradicts the Bible. Sorry if that doesn’t fit your theology - in that case, it’s time to change your theology to make it Biblical in those areas where you are not.
If God can create a mature universe, a mature man and woman in the day they were created, then it is no problem for Him to create light without a light source then later create the light sources. It shows He is the source of all light - not the sun, moon, and stars which evolution wants to believe.

I asked Siri, how old the Earth is and she told me that it was 4.5 billion years old. 😁 just a little older than that fruitcake, I just ate. 😂

The Gap Theory is heresy, plain and simple - it is disbelieving or adding to the early chapters of Genesis, which is the foundation of our whole Bible and lays the groundwork for our faith.
For consideration:
Job 38:4-7 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
declare, if thou hast understanding.
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest?
or who hath stretched the line upon it?
Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened?
or who laid the corner stone thereof;
When the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
The laying of the foundations of the earth was not on day one - but day three when God separated the land and the sea. This passage also gives the same order of events:
Psalms 104:2-5 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment:
who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters:
who maketh the clouds his chariot:
who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Who maketh his angels spirits;
his ministers a flaming fire:
Who laid the foundations of the earth,
that it should not be removed for ever.
The creation of light (day one), the stretching out of the firmament (day two), the creation of angels, the laying of the foundations of the earth (day three). And that is what the passage of Job parallels. The angels were created shortly before ir on day three - but before the foundations of the earth were laid, as they ALL rejoiced at it. None had fallen yet. This is also seen in the Lord God calling the all His finished creation (those six days) very good.
Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Also, all the angels were created to minister to saved mankind; therefore, there would be no need to have them created before God created our world/universe.
Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Another point, the third heaven (where angels dwell in the presence of God) did not exist before day one:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
That is referring to the first heaven, our atmosphere (where birds would fly/dwell), which is developed further on day two. Day four shows the second heaven, outer space, where the sun, moon, and stars are. According to Hebrews 9:24, the third heaven is where the presence of God dwells, which the NT also refers to as Paradise (after the resurrection of Christ).

His statement shows promise, and it was encouraging to hear that some members of the church plan to stand with the protestors. I still don't care for this church and school, but Pastor Wilkerson inherited a hornets nest and I pray he leads this church in the right direction. 
 
That is not the intent of this particular protest. Nobody is protesting or attacking First Baptist because they preach the gospel. They are protesting the abuse and coverup of abuses that have taken place at that church. If I lived in the area, I would be standing with them. Abuse is evil and should be called out. It's very sad that it's taking a documentary and protests to get this church's attention and for them to admit what had happened there was wrong and evil. We need to have the integrity to admit when something is wrong in our ranks and not just dismiss "the world" because they call us out. 

We attended a church (were members) where a protest was held - for several weeks.  It was not for this same reason, but it was legitimate. There were a few protesters who wanted violence, but cooler heads prevailed. Had we cancelled services where protesters were outside, we wouldn't have met for weeks. Not a practical idea. They also stayed on the perimeter of the church. Some of them shouted very rude stuff when we left the church, but that was not the majority. 
Abuse of any kind that has been prevalent in a church needs to have the spotlight on it. Peaceful protesters should be allowed/encouraged, etc. And it sounds like Bro. Wilkerson intends to do so. And WHAT A BLESSING to hear him say that the police need to be called in abuse situations. Breath of fresh air!

Pastor Wilkerson addressing a planned protest this Sunday at First Baptist
 

I don't know all that First Baptist is doing to handle this past situation, nor do I need to know. I just hope they are doing everything they can to support the women who were hurt in the past by the previous staff members.
 
 
 

For the first time in a very long time, I find myself respecting First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. Pastor Wilkerson inherited this mess, and I believe he's handling it the best way he can.
In my personal interactions with Pastor Wilkerson, he has consistently been nothing but gracious and humble, a far cry from the previous pastors.

A truly spiritual person won't because they will keep their eyes on the Lord. Doesn't mean there won't be disappointments and times of crying out to the Lord in grief, sadness, or despair. But a truly spiritual person will not let down what they "learned" but will rather lean on the Savior.

Galatians 5:16 tells us to "Walk in the Spirit." We're also supposed to be putting on the whole armor of God and girding up the loins of our minds. I'm not saying a servant of the Lord won't have some questions or doubts at times, but, I am saying that the Bible tells us how to avoid these pitfalls.

It’s also an affront to the English language, which predetermines pronouns based on biological gender, and it does not allow a singular entity to be referred to in the plural.
 
IMO, using that preferred pronoun in signature lines shows tacit agreement to this nonsense and therefore supports this defiance of God’s ordained order.

The Bible refers to them as Magi, which in it's literal form is talking about men who read the stars. The magi, as a widespread group, were often advisers of kings, linked to royalty in other ways, and oftimes were politically active. They were also considered wise men (Daniel and his three friends were wise men, added to the magi of the king...actually a commonplace occurrence in that part of the world - the east - at that time).  Point of fact that is interesting: in Esther 1:13,14, the king's wise men were called princes. (did you know that Baalam was referred to as a "magus" or wise man...this was in the first century,  not the Bible but is indicative of the common usage of the term in that area)
One thing that those of us with western minds don't realize is that "kings" in various places of the earth didn't necessarily mean the same thing as what we think of as kings. Example: the ancient kings of Ireland, Scotland were chieftains  - leaders of tribes. Some of them grew their influence, some didn't. So as to calling them kings - I can't find any evidence that the Catholic church renamed them kings (but, of course, the RCC uses it a lot). I don't know when or who gave them names, but I know Ben Hur names them.
Oftimes the wise men, magi, were men of money and influence, and this could have been where the title "king" came from.
But there were most likely many more people than just 3 men...in that day, it was dangerous to travel distances due to highwaymen. So most travel was done in large groups. (and did you also know that it was likely Arabian horses they rode rather than camels? 😁 ). It's quite likely that there were a number of magi, their servants, and their pack animals carrying the necessary rations, the gifts, etc. When they entered Jerusalem, the Bible tells us that the city was troubled along with Herod. Were they simply three men who came to see the king, it's not likely the whole city would have heard about their search for the one born king of the Jews. 
Also, most folks say that the wise men followed the star from the east to Bethlehem. But they didn't...the Bible clearly tells us they saw the star in the East...they knew a king was born (remember they studied the stars - and it is believed by many that these men knew of the prophecy of the Scetpre that would rise out of Judah - a very special king of the Jews) and they came to the place they believed the king of the Jews would be born, the common sense place: Jerusalem. The Bible then tells us that when they left Jerusalem to head to Bethlehem they saw the star again. And THEN is when it led them to Jesus.
Lots of interesting tidbits that have been re-invented about the entire birth of Christ. A study of OT prophecy of the coming Messiah and the NT verses about His birth can really clear up confusion, though. And I think it's a fascinating study.
And since the wise men were not at the birth, we don't include them in any nativity scene.

The peace that we have does not rest in the absence of evil, but rather in the Person of Jesus Christ. As has been mentioned, troubled times (evil times) have existed since sin entered the world. Mankind became sinners, and the world was cursed. We still live in a cursed world, with sinners (ourselves as well as others). Sin is evil.  We too often rationalize sin, but sin is evil. Both Noah's actions and Ham's actions after the flood show that sin/evil is ever with us, whether we are able to commit acts of sin or not. 
I would imagine that there were arguments/disagreements while on the ark. Because all 8 of the folks on board were human and sinners. As was said, we do not know what happened while they were on the ark.
While we do live in a cursed world, I believe there have been times when evil has been more rampant than at other times. Jesus Himself mentioned "as the days of Noah" as a comparison of the absolute evil that would run amok before Jesus returns. I believe evil will grow and spread and become worse and worse the closer to Christ's return we get...and that because Christians will get more and more apathetic.
The thing is, TGL, even with God in our lives, there is trouble. Because of sin. Trouble can be various things: ill health, persecution (think of the persecuted churches...they have God with them, and yet they are always in danger of persecution and even death). God can and does often protect, but peace, again, rests in Christ, not the absence of trouble/sin/evil.

The peace that we have does not rest in the absence of evil, but rather in the Person of Jesus Christ. As has been mentioned, troubled times (evil times) have existed since sin entered the world. Mankind became sinners, and the world was cursed. We still live in a cursed world, with sinners (ourselves as well as others). Sin is evil.  We too often rationalize sin, but sin is evil. Both Noah's actions and Ham's actions after the flood show that sin/evil is ever with us, whether we are able to commit acts of sin or not. 
I would imagine that there were arguments/disagreements while on the ark. Because all 8 of the folks on board were human and sinners. As was said, we do not know what happened while they were on the ark.
While we do live in a cursed world, I believe there have been times when evil has been more rampant than at other times. Jesus Himself mentioned "as the days of Noah" as a comparison of the absolute evil that would run amok before Jesus returns. I believe evil will grow and spread and become worse and worse the closer to Christ's return we get...and that because Christians will get more and more apathetic.
The thing is, TGL, even with God in our lives, there is trouble. Because of sin. Trouble can be various things: ill health, persecution (think of the persecuted churches...they have God with them, and yet they are always in danger of persecution and even death). God can and does often protect, but peace, again, rests in Christ, not the absence of trouble/sin/evil.

The peace that we have does not rest in the absence of evil, but rather in the Person of Jesus Christ. As has been mentioned, troubled times (evil times) have existed since sin entered the world. Mankind became sinners, and the world was cursed. We still live in a cursed world, with sinners (ourselves as well as others). Sin is evil.  We too often rationalize sin, but sin is evil. Both Noah's actions and Ham's actions after the flood show that sin/evil is ever with us, whether we are able to commit acts of sin or not. 
I would imagine that there were arguments/disagreements while on the ark. Because all 8 of the folks on board were human and sinners. As was said, we do not know what happened while they were on the ark.
While we do live in a cursed world, I believe there have been times when evil has been more rampant than at other times. Jesus Himself mentioned "as the days of Noah" as a comparison of the absolute evil that would run amok before Jesus returns. I believe evil will grow and spread and become worse and worse the closer to Christ's return we get...and that because Christians will get more and more apathetic.
The thing is, TGL, even with God in our lives, there is trouble. Because of sin. Trouble can be various things: ill health, persecution (think of the persecuted churches...they have God with them, and yet they are always in danger of persecution and even death). God can and does often protect, but peace, again, rests in Christ, not the absence of trouble/sin/evil.

That's odd...😁

The Bible refers to them as Magi, which in it's literal form is talking about men who read the stars. The magi, as a widespread group, were often advisers of kings, linked to royalty in other ways, and oftimes were politically active. They were also considered wise men (Daniel and his three friends were wise men, added to the magi of the king...actually a commonplace occurrence in that part of the world - the east - at that time).  Point of fact that is interesting: in Esther 1:13,14, the king's wise men were called princes. (did you know that Baalam was referred to as a "magus" or wise man...this was in the first century,  not the Bible but is indicative of the common usage of the term in that area)
One thing that those of us with western minds don't realize is that "kings" in various places of the earth didn't necessarily mean the same thing as what we think of as kings. Example: the ancient kings of Ireland, Scotland were chieftains  - leaders of tribes. Some of them grew their influence, some didn't. So as to calling them kings - I can't find any evidence that the Catholic church renamed them kings (but, of course, the RCC uses it a lot). I don't know when or who gave them names, but I know Ben Hur names them.
Oftimes the wise men, magi, were men of money and influence, and this could have been where the title "king" came from.
But there were most likely many more people than just 3 men...in that day, it was dangerous to travel distances due to highwaymen. So most travel was done in large groups. (and did you also know that it was likely Arabian horses they rode rather than camels? 😁 ). It's quite likely that there were a number of magi, their servants, and their pack animals carrying the necessary rations, the gifts, etc. When they entered Jerusalem, the Bible tells us that the city was troubled along with Herod. Were they simply three men who came to see the king, it's not likely the whole city would have heard about their search for the one born king of the Jews. 
Also, most folks say that the wise men followed the star from the east to Bethlehem. But they didn't...the Bible clearly tells us they saw the star in the East...they knew a king was born (remember they studied the stars - and it is believed by many that these men knew of the prophecy of the Scetpre that would rise out of Judah - a very special king of the Jews) and they came to the place they believed the king of the Jews would be born, the common sense place: Jerusalem. The Bible then tells us that when they left Jerusalem to head to Bethlehem they saw the star again. And THEN is when it led them to Jesus.
Lots of interesting tidbits that have been re-invented about the entire birth of Christ. A study of OT prophecy of the coming Messiah and the NT verses about His birth can really clear up confusion, though. And I think it's a fascinating study.
And since the wise men were not at the birth, we don't include them in any nativity scene.

The Bible refers to them as Magi, which in it's literal form is talking about men who read the stars. The magi, as a widespread group, were often advisers of kings, linked to royalty in other ways, and oftimes were politically active. They were also considered wise men (Daniel and his three friends were wise men, added to the magi of the king...actually a commonplace occurrence in that part of the world - the east - at that time).  Point of fact that is interesting: in Esther 1:13,14, the king's wise men were called princes. (did you know that Baalam was referred to as a "magus" or wise man...this was in the first century,  not the Bible but is indicative of the common usage of the term in that area)
One thing that those of us with western minds don't realize is that "kings" in various places of the earth didn't necessarily mean the same thing as what we think of as kings. Example: the ancient kings of Ireland, Scotland were chieftains  - leaders of tribes. Some of them grew their influence, some didn't. So as to calling them kings - I can't find any evidence that the Catholic church renamed them kings (but, of course, the RCC uses it a lot). I don't know when or who gave them names, but I know Ben Hur names them.
Oftimes the wise men, magi, were men of money and influence, and this could have been where the title "king" came from.
But there were most likely many more people than just 3 men...in that day, it was dangerous to travel distances due to highwaymen. So most travel was done in large groups. (and did you also know that it was likely Arabian horses they rode rather than camels? 😁 ). It's quite likely that there were a number of magi, their servants, and their pack animals carrying the necessary rations, the gifts, etc. When they entered Jerusalem, the Bible tells us that the city was troubled along with Herod. Were they simply three men who came to see the king, it's not likely the whole city would have heard about their search for the one born king of the Jews. 
Also, most folks say that the wise men followed the star from the east to Bethlehem. But they didn't...the Bible clearly tells us they saw the star in the East...they knew a king was born (remember they studied the stars - and it is believed by many that these men knew of the prophecy of the Scetpre that would rise out of Judah - a very special king of the Jews) and they came to the place they believed the king of the Jews would be born, the common sense place: Jerusalem. The Bible then tells us that when they left Jerusalem to head to Bethlehem they saw the star again. And THEN is when it led them to Jesus.
Lots of interesting tidbits that have been re-invented about the entire birth of Christ. A study of OT prophecy of the coming Messiah and the NT verses about His birth can really clear up confusion, though. And I think it's a fascinating study.
And since the wise men were not at the birth, we don't include them in any nativity scene.

The Bible refers to them as Magi, which in it's literal form is talking about men who read the stars. The magi, as a widespread group, were often advisers of kings, linked to royalty in other ways, and oftimes were politically active. They were also considered wise men (Daniel and his three friends were wise men, added to the magi of the king...actually a commonplace occurrence in that part of the world - the east - at that time).  Point of fact that is interesting: in Esther 1:13,14, the king's wise men were called princes. (did you know that Baalam was referred to as a "magus" or wise man...this was in the first century,  not the Bible but is indicative of the common usage of the term in that area)
One thing that those of us with western minds don't realize is that "kings" in various places of the earth didn't necessarily mean the same thing as what we think of as kings. Example: the ancient kings of Ireland, Scotland were chieftains  - leaders of tribes. Some of them grew their influence, some didn't. So as to calling them kings - I can't find any evidence that the Catholic church renamed them kings (but, of course, the RCC uses it a lot). I don't know when or who gave them names, but I know Ben Hur names them.
Oftimes the wise men, magi, were men of money and influence, and this could have been where the title "king" came from.
But there were most likely many more people than just 3 men...in that day, it was dangerous to travel distances due to highwaymen. So most travel was done in large groups. (and did you also know that it was likely Arabian horses they rode rather than camels? 😁 ). It's quite likely that there were a number of magi, their servants, and their pack animals carrying the necessary rations, the gifts, etc. When they entered Jerusalem, the Bible tells us that the city was troubled along with Herod. Were they simply three men who came to see the king, it's not likely the whole city would have heard about their search for the one born king of the Jews. 
Also, most folks say that the wise men followed the star from the east to Bethlehem. But they didn't...the Bible clearly tells us they saw the star in the East...they knew a king was born (remember they studied the stars - and it is believed by many that these men knew of the prophecy of the Scetpre that would rise out of Judah - a very special king of the Jews) and they came to the place they believed the king of the Jews would be born, the common sense place: Jerusalem. The Bible then tells us that when they left Jerusalem to head to Bethlehem they saw the star again. And THEN is when it led them to Jesus.
Lots of interesting tidbits that have been re-invented about the entire birth of Christ. A study of OT prophecy of the coming Messiah and the NT verses about His birth can really clear up confusion, though. And I think it's a fascinating study.
And since the wise men were not at the birth, we don't include them in any nativity scene.

It is Baylor university.

It is on the ID channel. I have a paid Sling Subscription so I'm watching it on there. 
BTW, I'm outraged by what these men in authority have done to these young girls 😠

You need to get off the pendulum that only seems to rest at the end of each swing (and yours typically on the negative side).
Please show me where I stated that I expected pastors to be angels, or where I stated they would not have problems.
Of course, Pastors will have problems, that is to be expected, but it's how they are allowing those problems to affect their ministries. If their ministries are negatively impacted for a significant amount of time because of the problems they are experiencing, then they should consider stepping aside for a time or stepping down. I have yet to meet a pastor that has not had problems. But those that are successful are able to, for the most part, isolate their own problems from their ministry, and they have a circle of saints that are there to help them scripturally bear their burden(s).

Timely:  https://davemallinak.com/2023/12/05/protecting-your-church-from-predators/
 

Glad to have you join us.