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Hope you all have a safe friday night Aug 15, 2008 6:02 pm
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Enjoy yourself.
6 Comments
Possible scam alert Aug 15, 2008 8:01 am
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I was on my home page and this picture stuck out at me. I thought it was Barbara Striesand. She has other pictures there too. Says from Australia

Ruth14Au Thoughts?
4 Comments
Is God a counter? Is he a good Dad? Aug 15, 2008 7:51 am
192 Views
How many of us count the bad things our kids do during the course of a day? If we did, then one sin would kick us out of the family if we looked at sin the way some people do. Some people come up with these elaborate man made teachings that if a person has sin in their life (a christian) then they are out of fellowship with God.

Thats like we as a parent not accepting our children as ours and not talking to them as long as they have not confessed and repented to us.

God isn't like that either. If he were, we would be flying around like a yo yo.Salvation would be a yo-yo. God is not like that. Jesus Christ forgave the sin of the world, once and for all on the cross.

Its simple. Receive him and believe he did that and sin, as far as God is concerned is done with. You might say well, I have seen people walk away. Thats why we pray for them.

The Prodigal son walked away too. His actions were about as blasphemous as you can have towards a father. The interesting part is that he never was not the son because of his rebellion. Fellowship with his father was stopped because of him leaving, but it was never stopped on his (Fathers) side.

That Father was always looking, always had an eye open for when the Son would return. How do I know that? Because the word says that he saw him from afar and did what? He ran to him. He ran to his son. That doesn't sound like someone that is kicked out of the family to me. It sounds like someone that is treasured. he also risked humiliation. In order to run he had to lift his robe. They didn't have underwear. To expose yourself back then meant being humiliated. For a man of stature like the Father in this case, it meant alot that he did what he did. He tossed all to the wind and ran out of Love.

What brought the son back home? Remember he had squandered his inheritance on wild living. He was at an all time low. What brought him back was this. The word says that he thought his life would be better if he could even be a servant to his father because his fathers servants lived much better than he was.

So the answer is once again found in God's word. It is his goodness and kindness that brings us to repentance. He was drawn home to his father because of his fathers goodness and kindness to his servants. The bottom of the totem pole at the Family residence.

So what does he say to his dad? He says father forgive me, for I have sinned against heaven and you. So, his repentance was complete. But what did the Father say? Did he say, I forgive you son, but never never do that again! NO, he never even says I forgive you. He was already forgiven the moment he left. Thats how God is with us. We are his Children. Its a relationship, not a group of rules in order to participate in the family. Just as it would be with your family.

But what did his father do? Bring a robe and a ring. Kill the fatted calf. He celebrated the return he had waited on, real fellowship with his son. But what did the brother who had always performed as expected do? He was upset. Even said that the father had never thrown a party for him..here he was a basic lawkeeper. Thats what we would call him as Christian. A lawkeeper. Its sad, because he never knew the heart of his father, despite performing as expected.

The Father pleaded with the other son to celebrate as well. We have all been that other brother.We have all wondered why God even puts up with the vile people. The word says the law was only given to the unrighteous to begin with.

I ask people why God hates divorce. In most cases they will say its because a law or a covenant broken. After reading the Prodigal Son, its clearly not about Laws or Covenants. Its about how things affect the people that God so dearly loves.

If we truly Love our Father, we will un with him to embrace that lost brother. We will get the robe gladly. We will place the ring on his finger and we will kill the fatted calf and rejoice. Rejoice if for no other reason that our Father's heart is complete again.

God Bless
11 Comments
Pat Buchanon to Barrack Aug 15, 2008 5:30 am
190 Views
I agree with him on this one:

by Patrick J. Buchanan

Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America.?

Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to.

This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among t hem are these:

First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.

Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.

Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.

Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants .

Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.

We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude??

Barack talks about new 'ladders of opportunity' for blacks.

Let him go to Altoona?and Johnstown, and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for 'deserving' white kids.?

Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America ? Is it really white America 's fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent?

Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?

As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?

Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?

We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena . And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing.

Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago.

Be a better friend,
7 Comments
The truth about light and darkness Aug 15, 2008 4:55 am
154 Views
by James Owen Jr

The truth about light and darkness

In response to 1 John 1:5 which tells us God is light and in Him is NO DARKNESS, 1 John
1:6, 7 deals with light and darkness in a person’s life and how that identifies him. This, like
the use of the word fellowship, is critical to the proper interpretation of this passage. As we
shall see, the proper understanding of the teaching of light and darkness in the New
Testament will establish a very important truth, namely, that the believer always walks in
the light and never walks in darkness. Contrariwise, the unbeliever never walks in the light
but always walks in darkness. Although the believer may do the deeds of darkness, he is
still in the light. His position in the light never changes. Because he is in Christ Who is light
(John 8:12; Colossians 1:12-13), he will never walk in darkness. It is amazing that so
many have taught that, since the epistle was written to believers, verses 6, 8, and 10 are
describing the child of God and therefore prove that he walks in darkness when he sins.
On this basis they find in this chapter the instruction to confess ones sins before they can
walk in the light again. This misunderstanding could easily have been avoided had they
searched the New Testament regarding the teaching of the believer and his relationship to
light and darkness, something I failed to do for years.
Below are some of the basic scriptures that form the teaching regarding light and
darkness.
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, I am the light of the world, whoever
follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to
God, that you may declare the praises of Him Who called you out darkness into His
wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9
“But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You
are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the
darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness
have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there
between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? “ 2
Corinthians 6:14-15
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth).“ Ephesians 5:8
-9
The truth is obvious:
When one believes in Christ he receives Christ’s life which is light. He is placed into the
body of Christ. Because Christ is light, the believer, having been baptized into Christ, is
always in the light. So to say that a child of God can ever be in darkness denies the truth
that Christ is light.
Biblical context: conditional statements
Each of the last five verses in 1 John 1 begins with the words “if we.” In the Greek these
are called third class conditional statements. In effect the statement means: “if we, and we
may or may not.” In other words, the things about which John is writing may or may not
apply to the particular reader. The apparent reason for this is that among the true believers
there were those who were not genuine children of God. What applied to the unbeliever in
verse 6 would not apply to the believer. The opposite would be true in verse 7 and so on.
Many have erroneously concluded that the wording proves that everything that is said in these verses refers to true believers. As we have seen and will continue to see this cannot
possibly be true. The Apostle John is using a literary device. He does so because some
were unsaved among the believers (1 John 2:19, 26; 4:1), while others were undecided
about what constitutes salvation. Hypothetical propositions are presented for each person
to decide objectively whether he is saved or not. The writer to the Hebrews uses this same
device in Hebrews 3-14 and 10:22-31.
The Biblical context is descriptive, not prescriptive
As we have noted, the only scripture used to teach confession of sin to God in the New
Testament is in 1 John 1: 9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive
us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.“ By no measure can this verse be used
to prescribe a remedy for the sin of the believer because it is not an imperative in the
Greek and is not so even in the English. God is not commanding a person to do
something. Rather, he is describing the actions of someone who comes to the conclusion
that he is a sinner and is guilty as charged by God. This teaching is far different from what
we have been taught and led to believe. 1 John 1:9 addresses the unsaved person who
finally agrees with God about his sin and then places trust in Christ as his sin bearer.
The truth about the context
Having established the foundational truth that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all,
John presents two general categories of people. Those who walk in darkness and are
unsaved (verse 6), and those who walk in the light and are saved (verse 7). A closer
examination of these two verses establishes the basic interpretation of them.
In verse 6 we see that no matter what a person may say, if he is walking in darkness he
does not have an eternal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Walking in Darkness - The Characteristics
The book of 1 John gives us some descriptive traits of one who is walking in darkness:
1.He gives no evidence of loving God - 4:20.
2.He does not love the brothers in Christ - 4:20; 2:9,11.
3.He does not keep Christ’s commandments - 2:29; 5:2-3.
4.He loves the world - 2:15.
5.He deserts the brothers - 2:19, 24; 3:14; 4:20.
6.He denies the Son - 2:22-23.
7.He sins as he did before - 3:8,10.
8.He denies that Jesus had a human body - 4:3.
9.He does not believe the record that God gave of His Son - 5:10-12.
Conclusion - These are the traits of an unsaved person - one who is walking in darkness.
In verse 7 we see the continual work of the blood of Christ. The ones who “walk in the
light”, like the ones walking in darkness, will have certain distinguishing characteristics
about their lives:
1.They will carry out the commands of Christ - 2:3, 5, 6.
2.They will love the brothers (fellow believers) - 2:9, 11.
3.They will not love the world for the love of the Father is in them - 2:15; 4, 16,
19.
4.They will not desert the brothers - 2:19; 3:14; 4.
5.They will continue to believe what they started out believing - 2:24.
6.They will keep themselves pure - 3:2-3.
7.They will not sin as they used to - 3:9.
8.They will have compassion on the brothers - 3:16, 19.
2 Comments
The word fellowship means joint-participation. It is used in two separate ways in the Aug 15, 2008 4:42 am
145 Views
It is used in two separate ways in the
New Testament:

(1) Fellowship between people. It is the result of a common bond and for a common
purpose. The context determines whether the purpose is good or evil and whether it is
permanent or temporary. (See Acts 2:42-46; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 1 John 2:19.)
(2) Fellowship with God. The use of this word regarding a relationship between a believer
and God is that it is eternal, changeless, and for the believer’s good. Fellowship with God
is found only four times in the New Testament; three times in this chapter and once in 1
Corinthians 1:9. It is in 1 Corinthians 1:9, when taken in its context, that we discover what
the New Testament teaches about the believer’s fellowship with God.
In 1 Corinthians 1:2-8 Paul identifies those to whom he is writing as having an eternal
relationship with God. He does so in the following ways:
Verse 2 - They are identified as sanctified in Jesus Christ, called to be holy, and those who
have called upon the name of the Lord Jesus (Romans10:12-13).
Verse 6 - They gave testimony that they had believed the message Paul had preached.
Verse 7 - They gave evidence of having received spiritual gifts, and they were eagerly
awaiting the return of the Lord.
Verse 8 - Paul’s assurance that they were believers is underscored when he assures them
that they will be blameless “on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Verse 9 - Paul reminds them that all these things are true of them and will be true because provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
2.We will not sin when the Holy Spirit is in control - Galatians 5:16
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (flesh).”

JO jr
1 comment
Why Does God Hate Divorce? Aug 15, 2008 3:49 am
396 Views
In the word it says that God hates divorce. It also says that divorce was made as a law because of the hardening of peoples hearts. Today there are many reasons people divorce. Some of them not so good in reason. Why does God hate divorce?
Because it breaks a covenant he is part of
God is very touchy about his Covenants and divorce comes with breaking a covenant
Because of what divorce does to the people that he so dearly loves.
I am not sure
17 Comments, 21 votes
Thoughts on "The Bird Feeder"? Aug 15, 2008 3:38 am
141 Views
this in the email today



I bought a bird feeder. I hung
it on my back porch and filled
it with seed. What a beauty of
a bird feeder it is, as I filled it
lovingly with seed. Within a
week we had hundreds of birds
taking advantage of the
continuous flow of free and
easily accessible food.

But then the birds started
building nests in the boards
of the patio, above the table,
and next to the barbecue.

Then came the poop. It was
everywhere: on the patio tile,
the chairs, the table .
everywhere!

Then some of the birds
turned mean. They would
dive bomb me and try to
peck me even though I had
fed them out of my own
pocket.

And others birds were
boisterous and loud. They
sat on the feeder and
squawked and screamed at
all hours of the day and night
and demanded that I fill it
when it got low on food.

After a while, I couldn't even
sit on my own back porch
anymore. So I took down the
bird feeder and in three days
the birds were gone. I cleaned
up their mess and took down
the many nests they had built
all over the patio.

Soon, the back yard was like
it used to be.... quiet, serene
and no one demanding their
rights to a free meal.

Now let's see.
Our government gives out
free food, subsidized housing,
free medical care, and free
education and allows anyone
born here to be an automatic
citizen.

Then the illegals came by the
tens of thousands. Suddenly
our taxes went up to pay for
free services; small apartments
are housing 5 families; you
have to wait 6 hours to be seen
by an emergency room doctor;
your child's 2nd grade class is
behind other schools because
over half the class doesn't speak
English.

Corn Flakes now come in a
bilingual box; I have to
'press one' to hear my bank
talk to me in English, and
people waving flags other
than 'Old Glory' are
squawking and screaming
in the streets, demanding
more rights and free liberties.

Just my opinion, but maybe
it's time for the government
to take down the bird feeder.
If you agree, pass it on; if not,
continue cleaning up the poop!
2 Comments
 

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