Napsterdad

Good to hear from you again. Have a blessed Christmas and New Year.

It's not just Colorado. Even in NY, where the democrats have a lock in federal elections, they are now at war on the state level. N.Y. Court of Appeals sides with Democrats, orders redrawing of congressional maps - CBS New York (cbsnews.com)

In this we see the foundational difference between the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and most evangelical churches (most notably IFBs). Evangelicals typically (although many are starting to fall away) hold to the truth that the scriptures, as we have them in the Bible are the sole authority for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (Granted, many denominations open the door to corruption by using the phrase "in the original manuscripts", but I am speaking generally). Verses like the following are meaningless to the RCC: Deuteronomy 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Revelation 22:18-19 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. The RCC believes that the Scriptures along with the tradition of the Church are dual authorities over doctrine and practice. What an open door for corruption! For proof just compare the KJV 10 commandments (Exodus 20) to the 10 commandments in the Roman Catholic Catechism. See if you can find anything that resembles Exodus 20:4-6 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. The RCC removed this 2nd commandment and split the 10th into two: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife & Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. Of course, y'all probably already know all the above, but if the RCC is willing to corrupt this most foundational commandment, written in stone by the Lord's own finger, can it really surprise anyone that they will open the door for ANY kind of corruption? When I see articles like that in the OP I typically just shrug my shoulders, say "that's no surprise", and then perhaps wonder what they'll cede to the devil next.

Although it is very rare that I need to use my phone for Bible reading I have downloaded a few for those occasions where I need my Bible but am not in a place where I have it on hand. Of those I have downloaded I favor the Blue Letter Bible as it is very easy to use and has a concordance, which is about the only add-on I need when on the fly.

I don't care.

I just couldn't pass this by any longer. 1st, as mentioned above, raffles are gambling. Last I checked that was only okay for Catholics. Then there's the quote: "The church said the flamethrower is a "powerful tool" that can be used for "self-defense, hunting, and other purposes." Really? Self-defense? The only place this would be practical would be in your home and the resultant property damage would pretty much take away the practicality. Hunting? Hunting what? That comment was just plain stupid; which is what this raffle is. A church is supposed to be a place that reaches out to the community with the Gospel and feeds those with an ear to hear. Firearms and flamethrowers just don't resonate as an adjunct to Jesus Christ. Given the current spiritual and political environment there are many that just salivate at stories like this to discredit Christianity. Stupidity like this does nothing but hinder the Gospel from being received. Just a few more doors slammed in the face of a door-knocker. Sad.

I work in military communications and have instructed armed forces around the globe how to operate and maintain our radios to the component. Radios far mor complex than any smart phone. I never said I could not figure out how to use an iPhone. What I did say is that, compared with Samsung, Apple makes "everything a bit more complicated, more invasive, and more expensive". I don't find any of those three attributes positive reasons for me to want to stay with an Apple. TGL, you need to work on your reading comprehension. At least three times in as many weeks I have had to point out obvious errors in your understanding of my words. Perhaps there is a YouTube video for that.

Because we all know that if Google says it, it has to be true. The Gospel of Google. My cell phone is purchased and maintained by my company. They started me with a Samsung J3 back around 2016/7 and I loved it. I got upgraded to a S9 a few years later and loved that even more. Then a couple years ago they transitioned us to an Apple XR I would rather go back to my J3 then be stuck another day with this. I don't use my phone for much if I can help it, but when I do ease of use is paramount. To me it seems that Apple just makes everything a bit more complicated, more invasive, and more expensive. If my company does not go back to allowing Android phones before I retire one of the first things I'll do upon retirement will be to get a Samsung. Google that!

Being in Athens, TN our church has a number of young adults that go to Crown and our pastor was a friend of Pastor Sexton. We have been closely watching and praying over his condition from the beginning. While not unexpected, it still brought a great amount of sadness within our church. But this is where the blessing of our hope comes in. Pastor Sexton is suffering no more and this year he gets to spend Christmas in the physical presence of Jesus Christ Himself. There is a great deal of comfort to be taken from that thought.

Then I think "next time" will be very similar to very many previous times.

That's odd...

This thread really got me to thinking how I have reduced significantly the number of preachers I listen to. Back before COVID when I drove nearly an hour one way to/from work I had a much larger line-up. Some of my favorites came from Sword of the Lord: Mike Allison, Jeff Fugate, and Bob Jones Sr. I also had some favorites from Bible conferences I attended; like Joel Logan of Tabernacle Baptist Church, Greenville, SC; and James Knox from the Bible Baptist Church, Deland, FL. I'm going to have to get back to listening to these again.

Your first point is spot on, and the sad part is that because it happens in "Christian" churches these scandals are magnified exponentially over those same scandals in the secular world. Should that pastor resign? IMHO it really depends on how his ministry is impacted by that scandal. If it is keeping him from properly ministering or negatively impacting how his ministry is received, then perhaps he should. Ultimately it is not the pastor or his office that is the most important thing, it is the souls of all those that pastorate touches. It may not even always "seem fair", but what is more important: the man in the office, or the ministry the Lord is trying to do there? If the pastor is a true minister (aka servant), should he not be willing to step down if it is believed it would benefit the ministry for God?

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).

Mostly Lester Roloff. I will also listen to Adrian Rogers and Paul Chappell from time to time.

Greetings. Welcome aboard!

While I see where you are coming from, I have to disagree. It does not matter what the problem is. It matters how whatever that problem is affects the Pastor's walk and his ability to properly shepherd his flock. Everyone responds differently to the various situations placed in our lives. A Pastor must be able to properly, sincerely and with the love of Christ, minister to the needs of every individual; not only in the church, but whomever he meets. If any "problem" in his life prevents him from regularly fulfilling this office, he should step down, or at least step aside until he can get his walk with the Lord back on track.

I went TD because it was all Shore Duty, but I also liked the idea of working on flight simulators. After A school I was stationed at NAS Corpus Christi and got to do exactly that. Loved it. But they disestablished the rate so I then transitioned to ET. While I enjoyed my work on Flight Simulators, most of my favorite experiences were on Sea duty. My second and last ship was the USS Ticonderoga, the first Aegis Cruiser.

The preaching of Adrian Rogers was great, but the discipleship at Bellevue was lacking. I didn't grow much there. I believe the church was just to big. I first went to Millington for AT "A" school in '78 - '79 but got dropped and sent to the fleet as a striker after getting into trouble. Wrong place at the wrong time kinda thing. While serving on the USS Coral Sea I did my TD courses, extended for 1 year 3 mo. and they let me go back to school. For some reason the Assistant Air Boss took a liking to me, which helped. God was all over that, although I didn't know it then.

Greetings, Ray! There are some interesting parallels between your early story and mine. I too was raised Catholic. I actually got saved while stationed in Millington, TN for TD "A" school in late 1980 while attending Bellevue Baptist Church through the bus ministry offered on base. I was subsequently baptized there on Feb. 1, 1981. I backslid quite a bit after my transfer, but finally rededicated my life to the Lord in 1995. What a wonderful change that made in my and my family's life. We are blessed. Welcome aboard, shipmate! Good to have you here. Any friend of Tony's is bound to be a friend of mine.

Linus's quote from scripture was taken from the KJV. Charles Schulz, creator of The Peanuts, was a Christian and a Sunday School teacher in the Church of God (Anderson). He was quite open about his faith.

The intent of my post was to answer the OPs question: Also, the Bible does not say 'Thou SHOULD BE KIND to thy neighbor', it says Thou SHALT LOVE thy neighbour. Big difference.

I think your Bible reference is a good starting point, but I also believe the problem is much deeper. In this reference all the other prophets were seeking the kings favor and deserved to be castigated, while Micaiah stood by the stuff and rightly took up God's position and was wrongly rebuked. This would be in keeping with Joe Chandler's John 15:18-25 citation. I don't believe the OP is referring to being 'hated' for being right (although that would be a PART of the issue). I believe BT is referring more to the increasing trend of many Christians who just seem to go off at the slightest SELF-PERCEIVED provocation against their personal standards/beliefs; even against other Christians. If you take some time to think on this, this isn't just a Christian problem, it is societal. We, as a society, have been becoming more and more self-absorbed and self-righteous. Pick just about any topic and search it up on Google and just watch the tirades explode from any number of positions. The social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) are 'excellent' venues for such venom to flow freely; and it does. This multi-faceted problem has been growing for some time. I believe it starts with the Greatest Generation. After WWII, as America was its most prosperous, they wanted their kids to have everything they never had at no cost to the kids. Instant gratification. The advertising community picked up on this and have been bombarding us (especially with the advent of television) with commercials showing us what we must have because the Joneses have it, or we could even buy it and be better than the Joneses. Buy it today, this deal won't last forever. Instant gratification that is all about you. Then the Bible was removed from schools and with it so was Mark 12:30-31 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. With this came an increasing loss of respect for God (remember blue laws?), respect for others, respect for self, and ultimately respect for life. This, I believe, is at the heart of ALL our issues. Jesus did not say that There is none other commandment greater than these, without cause. Since then, we (as a society) have become much more self-centered, yet ironically (IMHO), with less self-respect. Remember the days where all men wore suits (or at least decent pants and a button down). Ties were required in most restaurants. Most women wore dresses every day. Appearance mattered. Self-respect. Now few dress properly and most dress 'seemingly' with pure laziness or with the express intent to shock everyone else. How easy this makes it for everyone to look down on everyone else, even though their own standards may be no better. Add the internet to the mix and now we have social media platforms where people discuss hot (and even not so hot) bed topics with others that they have never met, likely never will meet, and can criticize freely without fear of retribution. Again, Instant gratification that is all about you. Another facet of this is that few are really interested in the details behind the other's position. The only thing important is that you disagree with me and therefore YOU are a moron. Today face-to-face social interaction is on the wane while social interaction through a screen is on the rise exponentially. But this comes at a great cost. The brusqueness used so frequently now in online conversations is carrying over to the less frequent face-to-face interactions because it is the only way many truly know how to communicate. People are becoming just downright rude. Add Covid to the mix and for a year or more (depending on locality) we have isolated people from each other even more. There are many more facets to this problem, but the end result is that many in society today simply do not respect others or their opinions and will not take the time to bridge the gap. Unfortunately, as Christians, while we are supposed to hold ourselves separate, we are still a part of this society and what goes on around us, often very intimately, does have an impact on our lives and the way we handle things. Society has become rude, and unfortunately it has taken many Christians with it. Instant gratification that is all about me has become the rule. Truth is relative to me. I have no time to hear the basis for your opinion because it does not satisfy my need for instant gratification, and it is not about me. You are wrong, I am right. For a Christian, this attitude is anathema, but being a part of this world, it is an attitude that more and more Christians are succumbing to. This does Christianity, and individual Christians, no favors. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. This is the standard Christians are to live by. To do this we must respect the other person and be willing to hear them out. (This is becoming a lost art.) Yes, they may be wrong, but hear them out and correct with love. You may just find out you have something wrong: that is unless you are perfect, and if you believe you are...welcome to the world. The Bible version issue BT refers to is a solid case in point. I know quite a few NIV and ESV Christians that would put many KJV Christians to shame. God saved me through a NASB. God loved me even though I did not use a KJV. Jesus died on the cross for me even though I did not use a KJV. Shouldn't we be willing to love our 'non-KJV only' neighbor as ourselves just as God did? This is just one point where I've seen Christians get downright petulant; there are many more. This is where I believe BT is coming from and it is something I think we all need to take to heart. I've seen on this very forum where Christianity has taken a pretty hateful turn, and, unfortunately, I am not innocent. Mark 12:30-31 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. I'll get off my soap box now.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! My favorite holiday. The Pastor Emeritus at our church does a weekly podcast and this week it focuses on Thanksgiving (called Gratitude). You can find it in Apple Podcasts here: From My Heart to Yours en Apple Podcasts, or on Player FM here: Gratitude From My Heart To Yours podcast (player.fm). Thankfulness is mentioned at least 71 times in the Bible, and Gratitude 157 times. Yet many of us reserve only one day a year to place a special emphasis on this aspect of our walk. The Bible says: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Every day in my prayers I know I express my gratitude to God, but the number of times I make that an emphasis is far fewer than I care to acknowledge. This coming year I hope to do better. I hope this podcast is a blessing to you, I pray that you all have a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving (from my heart to yours ??)

Tried this this AM. Very good. Thanks! I'll do this even if it doesn't work. Had to go to the doctor yesterday. Previous round of prescriptions not working. Went real aggressive this time. Hopefully it works. Fortunately I have the whole week off from work.